The Ball
by Erricane
Summary: It was that time of the year for the Glace to host the annual ball at their home. When Sophie received a call from her sister, Silvia, she was told that she was invited back into the family to settle some things for a week. Only this time, she is bringing… A partner…
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _First of, I'd like to apologize for such a long delay. I wasn't feeling too well and I got the flu. I missed a week of working out but I had to work at same time. Honestly, I'm not complaining. But now that I'm feeling better, I'm back. This is a story that I've been working on for weeks. I've drawn many illustrations of it even because I fell in love with this story. And I have to say, I'm proud of this one. I don't know how many chapters there will be but I hope a lot. So anyways, you've read the title and the summary so you know what's about to happen. So enjoy. :)_

 **Summary:** _It was that time of the year for the Glace to host the annual ball at their home. When Sophie received a call from her sister, Silvia, she was told that she was invited back into the family to settle some things for a week. Only this time, she is bringing… A partner…_

 **Disclaimer:** _This is mine but the franchise is not. It belongs to to Disney. Yea, I said it._

* * *

It was just a regular Saturday movie night for Max and Sophie. Both of them were watching Mulan. Sophie was sitting down comfortably, resting her head on Max's chest while he just sat back down, putting an arm around her. They have reached the part where the heroine was revealed to be a female.

Sophie gasped. "Oh no…" she said softly, placing both her paws on her mouth.

Max only responded by blinking. He has already seen this movie long ago and he wasn't going to say anything about it since this was Sophie's first time watching it. Max yawned and a drop of tear formed from his left eyes.

Sophie looked up and her nose twitched. "Max?" she called. "Are you bored?"

He shook his head. "No, no," he said. "Just a little sleepy is all… Plus, I've never been bored when watching Mulan. Especially the first one."

She smiled and nuzzled him from under his chin.

He shivered and looked out the window quickly. "Stop it…" he said with a faint blush.

She giggled and focused her attention back to the movie. It took about almost half an hour for the movie to end. Sophie sat up and stretched her arms. "That was such a good movie…" she commented, looking at Max.

Max smiled and patted her head. "Off to bed we go?" he asked.

She nodded. "Mhm…"

"Go on without me then. I need to put the movie away."

"Okay." She kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be waiting."

She walked down to their bedroom and let out a little yawn with her ears dropped along with it. She was so impressed with the movie that she was watching earlier. She never would have thought that for once a girl would be the one doing the fighting. Most of the times she would see princesses always have to face hardship but this one just wins the prize. And it made her wonder, maybe that was why her family never wanted to watch those kinds of movies. It was too… Barbaric for the females.

Sophie looked into the mirror on the closet and did a fighting stance. She took a deep breath in and punched. "Hiya!" she said softly but aggressively. After watching that movie, it pumped up the jill and made her want to try to fight herself. Although, her techniques were a little, clumsy.

"Wanna learn how to fight?" Max said.

She turned to the door quickly to find him leaning by the door sill.

She laughed and combed her fur from her head all the way down to her ears. "Maybe?" she said.

Max chuckled and got behind her, holding her wrists gently. "When you punch, try not to be too forceful," he said. "Try to go for a slower punch first. It takes a lot of practice."

She looked up at him. "How long?"

"Um… A year or so?"

She smiled and slid through his paws, wrapping his arms around her neck. "That's too long…" she said. "But as long as you're teaching, I think I can handle it."

Max smiled and placed his lips on her head. Both of them stared into the mirror. Max resting his chin on Sophie's head while she held on to his arms. Almost looking like she was carrying Max.

She ran her paws down to his, feeling his claws making contact with the palm of her paws. "You know…" she started. "Now I feel like I want to protect you…"

He smiled. "Then try. I'm not arguing."

She smiled and turned around to face him. "Of course I will," she said. "I'll give it my all." Never has once Max argued with any of her decisions. In fact, he would always be supporting her all the time. Like when she needed to return to Tundratown for her marriage. He didn't even stop her because he believed she would stop it herself.

She let out a yawn and she blinked a few times. "Can we go to sleep now?" she asked.

"Do you seriously need to ask me everything?" Max asked back with a chuckle.

She smiled and let him go, walking to bed and her body thud on it. She stretched out a bit to get a good feel from it and she moaned in relaxation. It was like laying down on a cloud only, even more solid that is.

Max took off his shirt and hanged it on the rack, joining her.

She took a quick look at the scars of his back and blushed. It has been 2 months since they've been living together and she still can't shake off this feeling. Every time, when they spend the time together, it feels like she was back with him when they were just kids. But now… Well, it was so different. And to have him shirtless, sleeping next to him with him spooning her, feeling his warm fuzzy fur on the back of her back made her… Well, comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.

"Still can't get use to shirtless me?" Max asked. He could feel her shaking and her head heating up on his chest.

"Shut up!" she yelled in embarrassment. "Goodnight!" She quickly closed her eyes tightly hoping this feeling would go away. But it disappeared as soon as she felt Max's lips touched her cheek.

"Sweet dreams, princess," he said with a smile, turning off the lights.

She glanced back at him and smiled. She felt uncomfortable, yes. But out of all feelings, she was happy to have him so close to her. She knew this is becoming too repetetive for them every single night. But so far, none of them have gotten bored yet. Perhaps maybe in the future she can get use to it.

As time passed while the two were sleeping peacefully, Sophie woke up from the sound of her phone vibrating. It was still dark out and she groaned in annoyance. Luckily, Max was unable to hear it since his ears weren't as powerful as hers.

She frowned and stretched her arm to reach for it without having to escape from Max's embrace. She grabbed it and slid the answer button. "H-hello…?" she said sleepily without checking the caller ID.

" _Morning, Sophie_ ," said a very familiar voice over the line.

Her eyes opened a little more and she checked who was it that was calling. It was her older sister, Silvia. "Morning…" she said with a smile. "I thought you said you weren't allowed to call me anymore…"

" _Well, not really. Mom was the one that said that. But I called you to let you know about… You know._ "

"What?"

" _Well it's that time of the year, you know?_ "

A few seconds of silence was what needed to remind Sophie what she meant. She placed a paw on her head. "The Snow Ball…" she said. "Is it really that time already?"

" _Uh huh. Mom said you can come home. She said she wanted to apologize for… Last time._ "

"MOM said that?"

" _Apparently this was her plan. The family not calling nor speaking to you at all for a while. Then, she was hoping you miss us that you'll eventually come back._ "

"Ugh… Seriously…?"

" _I know. Sounds stupid to me too. But mom really misses you now and she was hoping you'd come back for this year's Snow Ball. It'd be nice to finally get along after all that drama._ "

She sighed and nodded. "Alright… I'll go…" she said.

" _Today? Around 10 in the morning?_ "

"We'll see…" she said with a smile.

Silvia laughed. " _Take your time_ ," she said. " _Bring Max along too. Otherwise… Mom will have to pair you up with someone else._ "

Sophie touched Max's paw and stayed quiet for a while. "Sounds like a plan…" she said. "See you there…"

" _Also, are you sleeping with him now? I can hear someone else breathing. Is he shirtless? And how…?_ "

"Bye, Silvia," she said quickly before hanging up and placed her phone back. She sighed and leaned her head back onto her lover's chest.

"Your family…?" Max's voice suddenly burst out without warning.

She looked back quickly in surprise and smiled. "Yea…" she said. "It's that time of the year again for us Glaces."

Max, still not opening his eyes, pulled her closer, putting his chin on her head. "I'll go…" he said. "Don't expect me to be great dancer…"

She giggled. "Doesn't matter. As long as you're there, that's all I need." She rubbed her paws on his arms, feeling his claws touching her shoulder. "Let's just get back to sleep, okay?"

But before he could, he already started snoring. She shook her head and got comfortable, getting as close as she can towards him, letting the time fly by them.

It was around 11 in the morning with Sophie and Max waiting for the train to Tundratown. Max was seen in his usual grey hoodie and cargo pants. However, this time, his hoodie was zipped up. Max has only been to Tundratown once and that was when he was accompanying Sophie back home.

While on their way to Tundratown, the hare explained to the fox about the annual Snow Ball that the Glace family has hosted for over the years. It was a dance that began when the first Glace made it to Zootopia to learn dancing and that was when it all started. However, that was over a hundred years ago.

Max listened to every detail that she gave. At least it wasn't a backstory so it wasn't going to bore him at all. They have brought their clothes along for the ride. They'll be staying there for a week after all. And plus, it was a good time to finally meet Sophie's parents.

Sophie has already met Max's late parents during those 2 months together. And she actually wished she met them sooner. Now it was Max's turn. Only… Both her parents are well. And healthy. And quite paranoid towards predator. At least, that's what Sophie said.

The train arrived and the two brought their bags with them. One for each with their own clothes and other important stuffs. Now this was Sophie's favorite part of the trip. She rushed in the train trying to find an empty seat for both of them and tried to put her bag in the storage but couldn't because of her height. Max grabbed her and lifted her up for her to reach which she successfully did. Take note that they are in the section for medium-sized mammals so Sophie was not that tall in this situation.

Here's the reason why this was Sophie's favorite part of the trip. Max sat next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He took out his phone and put on some earphones. He passed one of the end of his earphone to her and she lay her head on his shoulder, listening to some songs. Sometimes, he too will fall asleep but he was wide awake this time. He'll be waking her up once they've arrived.

They have arrived to Glacier Falls train station after half an hour. Max's eyes were closed but he was aware of his surroundings. As soon as he heard the speaker announced the arrival in Glacier Falls, he woke Sophie up.

"Sophie?" he called, shaking her lightly. "We're here."

She opened her eyes slowly and rubbed one eye. "Sorry…" she said. "It was just so…"

"Peaceful? I know. You say that every time we go on a train ride."

She smiled and removed the earphone before he put his phone away. He pulled their bags down from the storage and handed hers. Instead of going to Sophie's home in Snowball Drive, they were on their way to the Glace Manor at SnowCastle Way. Sophie has already texted Silvia that she and Max were taking a taxi there now and they were all waiting for her to get home.

While waiting for a cab to arrive, Sophie wrapped a scarf around Max. He looked at it. It was a red and light blue scarf with a very unique pattern knitted on it.

"You like it? Made it just last week."

Max smiled and sniffed a bit. "Well… It's got your smell," he said with a very sexy tone. He took a deep breath of the scarf again with both paws and moaned playfully.

She blushed and shivered that even her left ear managed to stand up straight for a split second. "S-stop it!" she begged, tugging on the scarf.

He chuckled and placed an arm around her. "Thanks…" he said. "I'll definitely wear this every time I go anywhere cold."

She held his arm and covered the bottom half of her face with the sleeves of his hoodie. "Baka…" she said.

Max laughed and by coincidence their cab has arrived.

Yes. Sophie has been learning quite a few Japanese words from him lately. Mainly because she wanted to try to fit in. Not to mention, she even thought the language sounds cool however, Max assured her… That it's not as cool as she thought it is for Japanese mammals.

Anyway, the ride only took about 20 minutes or less before they reached the front of the gates of Glace Manor.

The moment Max stepped out of the car, he felt like he was in a blizzard. SnowCastle Way felt like a frozen wasteland. He quickly put on his hood to keep his ears warm and he shivered again, breathing slowly, hugging himself.

"You okay…?" Sophie asked, looking at him.

"Y-yea…" he said through the cold. He chuckled a little. "I didn't think it'd be this cold…" He took out the bags and passed Sophie's to her only to receive a hug.

"I'm sorry…" she said. "When we get inside I'll make sure to get you something warm."

If only she knew that her hug was warm enough already. Max blushed a little and looked away with his hood covering his face. "Th-thanks…" he said. "Let's get to it then…"

She smiled and took the bag from him, taking the lead while Max paid the driver.

She walked up to the gates and opened it before entering the area. She walked up to the door and knocked on it only to be answered by her mother.

"Sopheria…" she responded with a smile.

Sophie stayed quiet for a while. "Hey, mom…" she said.

Her mother embraced him. "I'm so glad you're okay…" she said.

Sophie, who was surprised, hugged her mother back and very closely. "I've been doing great," she said. "No… Better than great."

Mrs. Glace let her daughter go and smiled. "I've already prepared a partner for you," she said. "I can assure you he's a very sweet…"

"Mom…" Sophie interrupted. "There's really no need…"

"Hey, Soph?" Max called behind her. She turned around to face him. "Have you seen my Catbury bar?"

Sophie's mother quickly pulled her daughter away in fear. She looked at Max with her ears down.

"Mom," Sophie said in annoyance. "It's okay." She walked up to Max. "He's… Max. My boyfriend."

Mrs. Glace's ears dropped as she stared at the tall fox.

Max gave a blank expression and raised a paw. "Nice to meet you, Miss," he said.

"Sophie!" called a female voice from behind Mrs. Glace. Sophie looked over her mother's shoulder to find her sister, Silvia walking up towards her. She quickly hugged Sophie.

"Oh, how I miss you," she said. She looked at Max and let her go. "You must be Max. Sophie talked a lot about you when you were gone."

A nervous laugh came out of Sophie as she looked away, blushing.

"Come on in," she said, helping Sophie with her bags. "I'm sure you're getting cold."

* * *

 **A/N:** _I have to stop here. I need a break. Will try to update this as soon as I can. Let me know what you guys and gals think in the review. Thanks. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Surprise to see me? I am too. The story is not over. I've just been busy making comics and arts and more illustrations for upcoming fanfictions. Yes, I draw before I could write so I can remember the crucial part of the stories. Anyway, because of that, I've thought of some new OCs on the way._

 _I've also been talking with an artist in deviantart to collaborate for a fanfiction. So I was also busy about that, like thinking of the plot and how it will go. For now, it'll be on hold till I can actually confirm anything._

 _And also, I forgot to mention that Sophie's mother's name is Jennette Glace. She is a hare that takes priority to her family and wants the best for them. Take note that she is also the head of the family instead of her husband, Paul Glace._

 **Disclaimer:** _Zootopia belongs to Disney._

* * *

"Here you go," said Silvia putting a cup of hot tea on the table in front of Max. "I hope this will help warm you up."

Max grabbed onto the handle. "Thank you," he said, nodding to Silvia before drinking his tea gently and carefully, not burning his lips. He sighed with steam coming out of his mouth. "Taste's great."

"Thank you," she replied smiling. "I hope you find yourself comfortable here. And don't hesitate to ask the staffs for anything."

"Uh… I think the tea will do. Thanks."

"You're still with a fox?!" Jennette said in a whisper in the living room across the dining room by the fireplace.

"Mom," Sophie argued with her arms crossed. "He's not A fox. He was my best friend that. And I know Max means well."

"Oh, sure. One day, if he starts putting his claws on you, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Why do you think he wears his gloves then?"

"Max seems rather nice," Silvia interrupted, walking in on the two.

"Oh, shush, Silvia," Jennette ordered.

"Thanks…" Sophie said with a smile before turning back to her mother. "Just… Please give him a week to prove it. I brought him here to the dance after all. And I don't want to dance with anyone this year."

Jennette frowned, and closed her eyes, giving some thoughts. She sighed placing her index and middle finger on her forehead. "Very well," she said lifting her head up. "One week."

"Thank you," Sophie said hesitantly. She walked back into the dining room. "Hey, Max," she called. "Let me show…" But before she could finish her sentence, Max was gone and an empty cup was left on the table.

Meanwhile on Max's side…

Max walked around the hallway looking at pictures all over the wall. There was even one with Sophie in it and the others look really old. His first thought that maybe from the start it was a family heir. It was a really big home after all. Almost like a museum.

But before he knew it, he was lost. Like, he did not remember how he got to where he is now. It looked like an empty hallway with no entrance but the stairs.

He scratched his head. "Great…" he said sarcastically trying to find his way back. He eventually found himself next to the kitchen and he was lured by a delicious smell coming from it. He peeked a bit to find a few small preys such as guinea pigs, hamsters and mice doing the cooking. He shrugged and kept walking only to bump into jill.

"Hey," she said. "Watch…" She stopped midsentence when she saw Max.

"Sorry," he said, bowing. "I'm just lost. Do you know how you get to the dining hall?"

"There you are!" said Sophie's voice coming from the front.

He looked up to find her running towards him. "Geez… Don't ever do that again." She grabbed his paw and looked at the hare. "Sorry, Julie," she said. "This is Max. He'll be staying with us until the dance. Don't be afraid of him. He's nice."

Julie looked at Max and her eyes glistened with her cheeks turning pink. "H-hi…" she said, waving shyly.

Max nodded silently.

There was an awkward silence standing in between them. Obviously, Julie has never met another predator before. Especially up close and in person. All she could do was smile.

Sophie noticed this and her cheeks puffed a bit. "Okay!" she said with a forced smile pulling Max to her. "It's time to show him his room. Sorry about that, Julie."

Sophie dragged her boyfriend away quickly. Max looked back at her sister who waved goodbye.

Julie looked at him with half-closed eyes and eventually closing them. She sighed. "So… Enchanted…" she said.

Sophie led Max to a room and opened the door to it. "This is it," she said. "Your room. Mine is just next to you."

Max looked at the room besides his. "Let me guess," he said. "Parents still don't trust you with a fox?"

She laughed nervously. "You could say that…"

Max smiled. "I can manage," he said. He entered the room and looked around. Not so dusty and the bed looked comfortable too. He sat down and lay back down, stretching his body. The bed was really soft. "Feels nice…" he said.

Sophie smiled and left his bag by the door. "The closest shower is at the end of the hallway. Don't worry. There's a heater this time."

"Okay," he said giving a thumbs up.

She closed the door behind her and walked towards him, sitting next to him. "I'm really happy you decided to come. You're gonna be the first fox and predator to ever appear in the ball."

Max looked up at the ceiling and then to her. "Why only preys all this time?" he asked.

She shrugged. "My family is probably still afraid of predators. I really feel bad for them though."

He sat up. "Well, then. I'll try to look my best." He held her face in his paw.

She frowned and held his paw. "No gloves…" she said, taking them off. "For now that is…" She didn't want to feel his gloves touching her. She wanted a full exposure of his paws touching hers.

Max really wasn't fighting back anymore. He felt her fingers rubbing on his along with his claws. It was so sharp but she didn't mind it at all. He smiled at her which caused her to blush but smile back. "You seriously want to do this now?" he teased.

She giggled and held his paws tighter. "What if I said yes?" she mocked.

The two laughed a bit before coming in for a kiss until…

The door swung open. "So, Max, how are you…?" Silvia stood by the door only to catch her sister and her boyfriend in the scene. Her eyes widened with her ears dropped. "Uh… Whoops…" she said, stepping back. "I'll just… Leave you two be." She closed the door.

Sophie and Max stared at the door a bit and then to each other.

The hare blushed and got off of her boyfriend, clearing the throat.

"That was… Awkward…" Max commented.

Sophie nodded. "I'll… Leave you to unpack," she said. "Here." She passed him his glove back and quickly exited the room. She peeked a bit. "Sorry…" she said quickly before leaving.

He chuckled. He took off his other glove and placed them on the drawer before beginning to unpack.

And as for Sophie who was just outside his room, she sat down, leaning on the wall, covering her face. "Oh my God!" she yelled with her face buried deep in her lap. She just sat that for a while until all that embarrassment went away. She looked back up and sighed. " _It's not that bad…_ " she thought. " _It could be worse… Like being caught WHILE doing it…_ " Her cheeks grew hotter and she buried her face again. "Oh God…"

Hours has passed until dusk came. It was around 5 in the evening until two jacks of the Glace has returned home from their work. As soon as Sophie saw her father and her brother walked through the gates, she walked towards them. "Hey, dad," she said. She then glared at her brother. "Damien…"

"Sophia," her father, Benjamin, said in surprised. "I thought you wouldn't make it." He hugged his daughter closely as a welcome home greeting. "I'm so glad you could come."

"What happened?" Damien said. "The fox dumped you?"

"Damien, show some respect for your sister."

Damien crossed his arms before looking up a little at the front door. His eyes opened a bit to find Max walking behind Sophie.

"Hey, Sophie?" he called. "I almost forgot. Did you see my Catbury bar?"

"Oh, perfect timing," she said. She quickly grabbed his arms and showed him to her father. "Dad, this is Max. My boyfriend and also my dance partner."

Benjamin looked at Max from head to toe. "He looks… Well, taller than any other foxes I've seen." Which is true because Max was a lot more taller than regular foxes.

Max nodded with his paws in his pockets. "Thank you," he said.

"Welcome to Glace Manor," Benjamin said, pulling out a paw to shake.

Max shook paws gently with his gloved paw. "Thank you," he repeated.

Benjamin was then aware of his gloves and held his paw. "Amazing…" he said. "This is a McKroc brand… How did you obtain this?"

"It was a present for my 17th birthday. I didn't know it was that rare though. But leather is good enough to keep my claws away."

"Indeed." Benjamin let his paw go. "I hope you're making yourself at home?"

"I try not to. Since this isn't my house."

Her father laughed. "Very gentlemale-like of you," he said. "Benjamin Glace," he introduced. "And this is my son, Damien."

Damien looked up at the fox with a frown and arms crossed.. He was trying his best to not be intimidated by he fox. Although, Max did no such thing. It was just in the jack's imagination is all.

"Pleasure," he said, bowing.

Silence began to play for a few seconds as the two stared at each other. Damien's glare against Max's… Well, stare. Like, there was seriously nothing going on in Max's mind right now. He was literally staring at the jack as he glared back.

"Anyway," Sophie interrupted. "Max will be joining us for dinner tonight, won't you?"

"That sounds great," Benjamin commented. "I hope you like cake, Max."

"I'm not into cake so much but I'll try."

The older hare laughed again. "My, my. You're an honest one. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Max nodded before turning to Sophie. "Catbury bar?" he asked again.

"You can have mine," she said. "It's in the cooler downstairs in the basement. It's behind the first flight of stairs. Be careful though, our cooks are there."

"Okay." Max walked back inside to where Sophie said it was until he bumped into Julie again like this afternoon. "S-sorry," he apologize.

Julie looked up and smiled. "It's okay," she said. "We really need to stop bumping into each other." She tidied up her skirt a bit. "I'm Julie," she introduced. "Sophie's younger sister." She had quite the accent though. A bit more of an English.

"Max," he said. "Max Zero."

She responded in awe. "So cool…" she said. She shook her head a bit. "Uh, I mean, very interesting name."

Max raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Thank you."

That smile was enough to send chills up to Julie's spine. She covered her face with an ear a bit and looked away.

Max looked at her in confusion. "Anyway, I'm looking for the basement. Can you show me where it is? I'm afraid I might get lost again."

She peeked a bit and let go of her ear. "Yea, yea," she said. She pointed across the hallway to some stairs. "It's behind that stairs over there."

"Thanks, Jules."

She looked behind him and sighed before twirling around. "Jules… I like that name…" she said to herself softly with a smile.

Time passed by in a flash. It wasn't long until it was finally dinner time. The sky has turned orange and the sun slowly setting down. Sophie was looking for Max to get him to the dining hall while waiting for dinner but he was nowhere to be seen. She was even starting to get worried.

Few minutes later, she gave up and just went to the dining hall reluctantly. She knew he was fine. She just wanted him to be on time but apparently, he himself was to blame.

"Where's Max?" Silvia whispered after Sophie took a seat next to her.

Sophie looked at her and shrugged.

Mr. Glace tapped his fingers slowly, waiting for the clock to ring for dinner. Everyone of the Glace family was there, all sixteen. Two parents, seven boys, seven girls. And a fox was missing.

When the clock struck 7, the door to the kitchen swung opened and a group of mice were carrying trays of all sorts. One with two pots of tea, a large bowl of stew and soup, a claypot filled with steaming baked potato and many more fit for herbivores.

"Ah, finally," commented Paul.

And as the food keeps coming, a tall bright-colored mammal exited the kitchen bringing the final dish, boiled fish seasoned with small pieces of maple leaves. And to everyone's surprise, it was Max.

The fox was bringing the final dish to them while wearing a chef outfit including the hat. "Enjoy," he said with a terrible and forceful smile.

Everyone in the room laughed after seeing at his attempt to smile. Everyone but Sophie. She quickly get off her seat and pulled him out of the dining hall to have a chat with him in private.

"What were you doing in there?" she whispered angrily.

"I thought I'd help out with the cooking," he said. "The cooks here are really nice and it was fun learning new recipes."

She placed her paws on her hips and frowned. She sighed and hugged him. "At least you're okay…" she said softly with her face buried in his chest.

"I'm not weak, you know," he said. "I can handle myself even if I'm alone."

She moved her head away and looked up at him. "I know. But… Nevermind. Just…" she pushed up a little away from him. "Let's just have dinner," she said with a gleeful smile.

She let go of him and walked back into the dining hall. He sighed and smiled a little. He had no choice but to have dinner with the chef outfit instead. A little too late to get changed already.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Gonna have to end it here. Sorry for such a long update. Writer's block. However, the story will go on. Trust me._

 _Also, I didn't even check for any errors because… Well… I was in no mood. Sorry everyone._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _And I'm back! First of, I just wanna say that something came up. Number one, writer's block. Number two, I had to go to Thailand. Forcefully. Because my uncle already bought the tickets before he could even ask me. And number three, things has been pretty slow for me. Like I have never been so… Well, depressed. But don't worry. I've been doing fine eventually. I'm no liar after all._

 _Anyway, I have return and the writer's block is gone. Christmas is coming which means it is time for me to get down to writing and eventually write up that special Christmas WildeHopps story. So, can't wait._

 _And also, I'm surprised you guys are still sticking with this story. You have no idea how much it means to me. Numbers aren't important. I really appreciate you all sticking with it. Enjoy the show._

 **Disclaimer:** _OCs are mine but Zootopia is Disney's._

* * *

Max entered the dining hall nervously. He was feeling that way because of two things. One, he felt a bit awkward after he realized he was going to have dinner while wearing the chef outfit. And two, this was the first time in a while since he's had dinner with more than just one mammal. So, he may have to get familiar with this feeling once more.

He sat next to Sophie, head looking down and not saying a single word but with a very straight face.

There was an awkward silence surrounding the room. The only thing keeping it occupied were the rustling sounds from the kitchen and the ticking of the clock.

The Glace look at the boiled fish that he brought. It was still steaming and underneath it was a portable stove that was still burning.

The smell was definitely filling up everyone's nostrils and even the younger ones are having their tongues sticking out.

( _Lesson time with Erricane: Hares can eat meat but are not considered predators. They are just like vultures. They only eat carcasses and anything that is dead._ )

"I must say," Paul began. "It smells incredible. Did you make this?"

Max looked up a little and nodded. There wasn't a hint of nervousness in Max's face. On the inside, that was what he felt. But on the outside, his face has such a blank expression that no one knows why he's looking down. No one but Sophie.

She looked over at him. He seemed so shy. It's been a while since she's seen that face he made. On the inside, she actually felt rather… Nostalgic.

"So… What is it that you do for work, Max?" Mr. Glace said, passing the plates to his children with his wife doing the same.

"Um… I work at YakDonald," Max answered. "I… Just want a decent job after… Well…"

"What is it?"

Max was about to say something until Sophie quickly cut in.

"After… An accident happened to him in Los Horserus few months ago," she said as quickly as she can. "Isn't that right? At the steelmaking factory?"

Max blinked a bit and nodded. "Yea…" he said. "I just… Want to try to get away from it."

"What happened?" the old jack asked.

Sophie this time was speechless trying to use her quick wits to think of something to say but Max already had an answered.

"Three… No. Four of my friends… They were… Found dead one night… And…" Without finishing his sentence, his fingers entertwined together and he placed them on his forehead with his elbows on the table, sighing with eyes closed..

"I'm so sorry…" Paul said. "I did not mean to bring up such a tragic event."

"Well… I try not to dwell on the past," Max said. "Not so much that is." The fox took a fork and a knife, cutting the fish as perfectly as possible. It was a straight clean cut in the shapes of small squares and triangles on the body. He picked a piece up and placed a few on each plates and then passed each of them to everyone.

The dinner lasted for less than an hour and everyone from the Glace family kept asking about the fox's past. Sophie was a little worried about it considering Max has never lied before. But Max did not specifically told them everything such as… 'Working at banks' or 'a delivery mammal'. Which is a safe way of saying 'robbing banks' and 'drug dealing'. And before you asked, Max just delivers and sells the drugs. He never took them.

Time went on in a flash as they were exchanging stories. Especially between Max and Paul. Sophie was relief too. She actually thought that things could have been ugly.

It was almost 9 at night and the hare and fox were still in the dining room chatting while the rest already retired from the room. Max listened to every word that the old hare has told. The chef even left some wine for them. However, Max only had a water bottle on his side. He wasn't a drinker after all.

"And so, Charlie said that he thinks that…" Paul was about to say something only to be interrupted by Max's yawn. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't realize I was boring you."

Max raised his paw. "Not at all…" he said through his yawn. "I'm just tired… And plus… I haven't even showered…"

"Oh goodness," Paul said, sitting up after looking at the clock. "I didn't realize it was that late. Please forgive me. I can get carried away sometimes."

Max chuckled and stood up. "I do love the stories though," he said. "Perhaps you can tell me some other time. Especially about why you really gave up soccer."

"Football."

"Same meaning but different words anyway."

Paul laughed and took a sip of his wine. "Oh and Max," he called. The fox turned to him. "Come by anytime. And don't mind Damien. I always look out for my sons."

Max smirked and bow. He walked up the stairs to his room and sighed. "What a day…" he said to himself while stretching his arms. He can't wait to get out of the chef outfit that he was still wearing.

He turned the doorknob slowly and entered. Only to find Sophie laying on his bed on her side. Her eyes were half-closed until she saw him. She sat up quickly and smiled nervously. "H-hey!" she said with a blush.

Max raised an eyebrow and entered the room. "What are you doing in my room?" he asked tonelessly.

She stood up and opened the closet that was next to his bed. "I brought in some fresh clothes for you," she said. "I know you can't stand the cold. And don't worry, so I got you something warm. They're new by the way."

Max smiled. "Thanks," he said. "But that still doesn't answer the question."

"Eh?"

He closed the door which made her legs trembled a little as she form a soft but visible blush.

"If that was all you were doing," he stated. "Why were you on my bed afterwards?"

Her pupils constricted and her bent ear shoot up straight while shaking with the other. "It's…! It's nothing, I swear!" Her blush immediately turned from pink to red the moment she raised up her paws and waving them as innocently as she can from the… 'misunderstanding'. "I was just curious what your bed felt like! So I thought…!"

She was stopped when he placed a bare finger on her nose. His claw on his index finger almost touched between her eyes.

She looked up to see a warm smile forming from his lips.

"Enough," he said. "I get it. Really, I do."

She gulped and looked away, paws holding on each other with them placed on her chest. And before she knew it she felt his lips made contact on her head causing her ears to go weak.

"Don't worry. I'll forget about it eventually."

She scratched her cheek and smiled. "Right…" She walked to the door and was about to take her leave until…

"Hey," Max called. "I'm about to take a shower. Wanna join me?"

Her ears stood up and shook in embarrassment. She grabbed the closest cushion she could find and tossed it at him before leaving the room.

Max looked at the cushion and picked up. He looked up at the door and laughed quietly.

Few minutes later, Max was already in the shower. He was standing there, taking his time to let it rain on him. His eyes were closed, arms relaxed as he let the water massage his body. He stretched a little with a frown while letting out a sigh.

"At least her dad was okay…" he said to himself. His head aimed towards the shower head, leaving the water to wash his face.

It was so warm… And he wish he could just stay there forever. But sooner or later, he'll eventually have to come out anyway. He turned off the shower after finishing washing the soap off of his fur. He stepped out of the bathtub and grabbed for a towel, wrapping it around him. Luckily there were towels just for his size.

He walked to the sink, looking into the mirror before putting some toothpaste on his toothbrush. This is never the usually thing for him to do. He usually does this every 3 days. But this was the Glace's house. And he was the kind of mammal that respects one's household.

He made sure he didn't leave a single spot flawed. He would lick his teeth and fangs to see they were clean to the brim. Not to mention, his breath was so much fresher than before.

He sighed. His breath was so fresh now that it covered the mirror in front of him with a little thick steam, almost covering his face.

"Tsk…" was his only respond. He placed back the toothbrush and walked out of the bathroom.

"You think he likes flowers…? Or maybe…?" said someone walking towards him.

Max turned to his left to find Julie and Silvia coming towards him. They stopped at their track the moment they saw the door opened and the fox coming out.

And at that moment, they just stared at him. They have never seen anyone looked so… Ripped. Julie's mouth was left hanging opened with her eyes wide open and Silvia placed her paw on her chin. Both of the does were blushing looking at him from his left.

Max let out a yawn and rubbed the back of his head before noticing the two sisters. "Oh… Yo," he said raising his paw.

Silvia looked at Julie and grabbed her sister by the arm who was still frozen in place. "Um, s-sorry, Max!" she said. "We didn't mean to bum into you! Goodnight!"

Max watched the two running off back but have no idea where to. He shrugged and went to his room to get dressed.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Phew… Okay. So I'll leave this story on pause for a while. As I've said before, I will be writing the WildeHopps story for Christmas and I really think you all will definitely love it. And also, maybe once I'm done with that story, I will definitely continue The Ball again. For now, the WildeHopps Christmas special comes first. See you soon, everyone. Ja ne. :)_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _My god. How long has it been already? I was so caught up with an anime and manga that I forgot all about this. My apologies._

 _So first of, I have to say I'm sorry for the late update. That WildeHopps Christmas special was so important that I actually have no time to update it. I was done long ago and then all of a sudden I added some new things in it. Some new words, scenes. And not just that. I wanted it to be perfect so I decided to make sure there weren't any errors and there weren't which I'm proud of. But as soon as I finished checking, how time flies… Anyway, here's the next chapter for The Ball. You all know that Nick and Judy will appear eventually. Since this story takes part BEFORE Christmas. Enjoy._

 **Disclaimer** : _Disney owns Zootopia. Not me. I mean, not Disney own me. But Zootopia. I'm confuse._

* * *

Morning… Sophie slowly opened her eyes and blinked. She was staring at the wall for a minute and then closed her eyes, sighing. How she wished Max was there… She just didn't want to get up if the first thing she saw wasn't her favorite fox.

And as the thought was running, she felt an arm placed on her. Her eyes widened but immediately relaxed when she realized who's was it. Red fur, black paw with claws. She held on to it and turned around to see her boyfriend sleeping soundly, snoring peacefully.

How did he even get into her room? But that question didn't go through her mind. She just smiled and turned to him completely, embracing him in his sleep.

"…Morning…" he moaned tiredly, frowning.

Her eyes stood up and she smiled. "Did I wake you…?" she said.

"No… Just a light sleeper is all…" he said, still not opening his eyes.

Seeing him just gave her the spirit to start her day. She placed her elbow on the bed and rubbed the back of his neck.

He frowned again. "Sorry I barged in…" he said, pulling her closer. "I couldn't sleep… And… You know…"

"You picked the lock to my room," she finished for him.

He smiled weakly and let her go. "I really am exhausted, honestly… I guess I'm really not use to sleeping alone anymore like I use to…"

Hearing that, made her a bit worried. 'Use to' he said… Unlike him, who had no one to go to anymore after his foster parents' death, she had her family who still contacts her from time to time after he left Zootopia. She just can't imagine the things he went through to get to where he is now. And at the same time, she wanted to know more. The guilt of running away from him 10 years ago was still there in her heart. She just seem to forgotten about it.

She caressed his cheek, rubbing their fur on each other and looked at him with such sympathy.

He moaned with his mouth closed softly and opened his eyes to look at her. "You think you can go and get some more Catbury…? I ate the last bar last night for a midnight snack…"

She giggled and rubbed her thumb on his cheek. "I'll get to it," she said finally getting that energy back. She got off of bed slowly not to disturb his sleep and looked back at him. "Just sleep tight. Want me to bring it to you when I come back?"

He didn't answer but nodded.

She exited her room, leaving him to sleep as much as he want. She slowly closed the door while looking back at him and smiled. "Sleep tight, Max…" she said softly before closing the door.

A couple hours has passed and Max woke up unwillingly. He frowned and gave a big yawn before rubbing his eyes. The sun sure was dim today. Probably because the clouds were thick. He looked to his right to find an empty spot and smiled, scratching the back of his head. He felt happy that he managed to get some sleep finally. But it has to be Sophie. He looked at the small table to his left which was beside the bed and grabbed his phone.

Max also noticed a chocolate bar there but it wasn't a Catbury but a Crickers and with a note too that said , "They were out with Catbury. Hope you like Crickers. Sophie."

He chuckled and placed a paw on his forehead. "Thanks…" he said to himself with a smile. He checked the time. 40 past 11 in the morning. He yawned again and stretched his arms a little before he set foot on the floor.

It is the 23rd today. Tomorrow is the day the ball begin. He scratched his head again and grab the Crickers bar off the table before heading out of the room. And just when he stepped out… He bumped into Julie, Sophie's younger sister.

Julie turned to him and blushed. "Oh, hi!" she quickly said, panicking.

Max shook his head and looked at her. He raised a paw up. "Sorry…" he said. "I'm still a little woozy…"

"It's okay," she said giggling, covering half her face in her laundry. She looked up to him and her ears fell when she remembered where he was. "Um… Why were you in my sister's room?"

Max closed his eyes and frowned. "I couldn't sleep last night without her is all…" he said. "Nothing else happened. I just needed her…"

"Oh…" was all she replied. Her arms slowly lowered themselves a little, revealing her face. She felt upset. She gripped onto her laundry tightly and looked at him. "I should go…" she said. "Breakfast is already on the table in the dining hall."

Max watched her walked away and sighed. "Not this again…" he pinched his skin between his eyes. He knew what she was feeling. This wasn't the first time the he attracted other mammals. But he knew she'd get over it. She was still too young after all.

While walking down the stairs, he received a text message. It was from Nick. He opened it to find two words on it. " _:Merry Christmas:_ " it wrote and with a happy face emoji. The young fox smiled and was about to text back until… A thought went through his mind.

When he was downstairs, Silvia walked passed him with a box full of glass cups.

"Hey, Silvia," he called.

She turned to him and smiled. "Oh hey, Max," she replied. "Sleep well?"

He nodded. "Is it okay if I invite guests?" he asked. "I… I don't think I'll be comfortable about being the only mammal in a pred/prey relationship alone with Sophie."

"You mean to say that you need someone else who's in the same situation as you during the dance?"

He stayed quiet for a while and nodded again. "But… Not just that." He smiled affterwards. "Would be nice to see my old friends again. And they're very good mammals. I can assure you."

"Well…" Silvia looked back at the busy hall with many mammals renovating the place. "I guess since you're a future Glace member, go on ahead."

He bowed. "Thanks," he said. He turned around and walked to the dining hall for his breakfast while texting to Nick about it and hoping his senior would be able to go.

'Future Glace member'… The title seemed to made him blush a little. He could feel his cheeks a little warm just from the echo in his mind. Been a while since he's had a family. Only, his was a lot smaller than hers. Very small.

He brought up his cellphone and called the first mammal in his contact list, 'Nick-senpai'. Yes, that is actually what he wrote in his contact.

( _I think you all know where this will lead. But don't worry, this is on Max's side._ )

After telling his senior the invitation, Max put away his phone and sighed. He felt a little at ease after hearing his senior accepted it. He won't be the only predator there anymore. What's more, another fox even.

Few hours later, after Sophie returned home…

"Eh?!" she yelled. "Judy and Nick are coming?! Max!"

Max just sip on his tea and looked up at her after putting his cup down. "Hm?" he responded.

She just smiled and stood up. "That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that before?!"

"Maybe because you're too noisy…" the fox suggested.

A disgusted look appeared on her face. "Hey…!" she warned. "What does that suppose to mean…?" Her paws rolled up into a fist as if she was ready to hit him.

Max smiled and looked at her with half closed eyes. "Sorry, sorry," he said still keeping that emotionless tone.

She blushed and sat down, looking away with a pouty face. "Doesn't matter," she said. "I forgive you."

And just like that, silence between the two in the dining hall. The only exception was the sound of Max drinking his tea.

"Hey…" she finally spoke up. "I've been wondering…" She looked at him for a while in midsentence.

He noticed this and put his cup down again. "Yea?"

She placed her paws on her thighs and looked to her left, blankly. "Do you think…?" Silent for a moment before she continued. "Do you think… We would still be friends if it weren't for… You know…"

At this point, the fox himself was speechless and lean back at his chair. The only thing he did was look up at the ceiling. "I don't know…" was his answer. "But I'm glad it happened."

"Why?"

He smiled and then faced towards her. "Because we're back together again, aren't we?" He leaned forward and placed his chin on his outer paws. "Maybe… Things would have been different if you didn't run away."

She gave a disappointed look. "But… Still… I just can't imagine you going through all that trouble…" And you had no one to turn to.

"Not true, really. I have a lot of mammals that I could count on. The one that we should be worried is you."

"Huh…?"

"Sophie… You told me, didn't you? The only mammals you can trust was Silvia and she had to go overseas with her husband. In the end, you had no one even after you transfer, right?"

She gripped the cloth on the table and looked down. She said nothing and only frowned. He was right… Unlike him who found new companions, she was all alone. She didn't know what to tell him. That some mammals didn't like her for herself. Only in her family and their business.

When she was just full of thought without saying anything, she felt a warm embrace from behind her. She looked back on her shoulder to find Max's head resting there.

"I'm should be the one to apologize…" he said. "Frankie had access to everyone in specific areas back then… I even got your contact number… I even wanted to call you… But, I thought you might not want to talk to me…"

She smiled and scratched her boyfriend's head. "Idiot…" she said. "At least you tried…"

Max opened his eyes a bit and blinked. "I'm sorry for not realizing this sooner…" he said.

She laughed a little with her eyes closed.

"Wow, having a moment, you two?" said Silvia by the entrance with crossed arms.

The couple opened their eyes and the jill's arms began flailing. "Wah! Silvia!" she said. "It's…! It's nothing really!"

Max's eyes still half closed and he was still embracing her. "Yea, we were," he answered bluntly. "So will you please?"

"Max!" Sophie yelled with a blush.

Silvia giggled. "Just be glad I didn't take a picture. Anyway, did you invite your friends, Max?"

"I did," he said letting his girlfriend go. "They're very nice mammals. I guarantee that."

"From what I heard from Sophie, Judy and Nick. As in, the police officers?"

"The power couple of Zootopia, yes."

"Oh ho, mother and father would definitely be happy to hear this."

"If it's possible, try not to tell them at all. Besides, Nick said he didn't want to grab anybody's attention, if possible."

"Well… They're our guests so we should respect their decision."

"Thank you."

"Oh, also, Sophie?"

"Y-yes?" Sophie responded.

"Julie said she wanted to talk to you."

"Julie? Never expected her to do that. I'll find her."

As soon Silvia was out of the dining hall, Max turned to his girlfriend. "You two don't talk that much?" he asked.

"More like… She was… Not as interactive as anyone here. Always keeps things to herself. I'm surprised she wanted to talk to me out of all of us."

"Both of you aren't close?"

"More like, we had our own life to worry about."

He placed both paws on both her shoulders. "Well go on," he said. "Don't keep her waiting."

* * *

 **A/N:** _The story WILL continue! I really am sorry for not updating this. I actually FORGOT about it because I was so occupied with animes and mangas. But at the same time, I've got some new ideas. And I didn't just forgot about it. More like, I didn't realize it was THIS long. In fact, I didn't even know it was 2017 even. I'm SO SO sorry!_

 _I will update this in less than a week. I guarantee. I need to finish what I started after all. Thank you so much for still sticking with this story all this time, everybody. I'm not the kind that would leave anything unfinished._

 _Take care, and expect the next chapter soon._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Here we are! New chapter as I've said! Honestly, thank you for still sticking with the story. And I really am sorry for such a slow update. This is what happens when I get too hooked up on something. But I'm also sorry that last chapter was a little too short. I just needed to post it so I can let you all know that I haven't completely forgotten about this story. It MUST continue until the end._

 **Disclaimer:** _We all know what I'm about to say._

* * *

Julie was at the swing that was hanging on the tree branch, swaying her legs back and forth in the garden behind their manor. When suddenly, she heard footsteps walking her way. She looked up to find her older sister, Sophie there.

"Hey, Julie," greeted the older hare with a smile.

The younger hare smiled slightly and stood up. "I know this is surprising…" she said.

"Heh, well…" Sophie scratched the back of her head. "It is, actually. I… Almost forgot how you sound like. When was the last time we talked?"

"A very… Long time ago…" Julie answered hesitantly. "I'm sorry it took this long…"

Sophie laughed it off. "Well, we're talking now aren't we? So no hard feelings."

Julie smiled. "I… Wanted to talk to you about…" The young hare looked away, her smile vanishing.

"Jules?"

She placed a paw on her mouth. "Sorry…" She took a deep breath and looked back at her older sister. "It's about… That fox… Max…"

"Is he scary? Don't worry. I assure you he won't hurt anyone at all."

"Ah no!" She quickly stepped back a little after realizing how loud she was. "It's just that… I think… I like him…"

Meanwhile…

"I got it," Max said through his smart phone. "Glacier Falls train station at 2pm. I won't be there in time. On purpose that is."

" _Very funny, Max…_ " said Nick on the other end.

Max chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Need me to find you a place to stay for a while?"

" _Yea, that would good. I need to go. Thanks again._ " With that, the call was hung up and the young fox put his phone away before combing his hair with his paw while taking a deep breath.

"Hm… Wonder what I should get them for Christmas…" he thought to himself with closed eyes while placing a thumb under his chin. Few seconds of thinking later, he opened his eyes and snapped his fingers. "That's it."

Right after thinking, he felt a light tap on his left shoulder from behind. He turned around to find Sophie. "Baaah!" she said with her tongue sticking out like a Japanese ghost.

The fox raised an eyebrow. "How about you scare me first before getting my attention?"

She giggled. "Sorry. Was that Nick?"

"Yea. He told me to wait for him and Judy at Glacier Falls train station. So in the meantime…" He began to make his move for the front door.

"Where are you going?"

"Getting both their Christmas presents."

"Can I come?" she asked, taking a few steps toward him.

"No," he said, placing his index finger on her forehead. "Because I'll be getting your Christmas present too. Same goes for your family. So, no peeking at what you all will be having." He smiled and turned around. "I'll be back soon."

Sophie watched as her boyfriend left the manor. Her face then turned into a frown and she head to her room, thudding herself back on her bed. "Argh!" she yelled, flailing her arms and legs. She turned around, hugging her pillow and sighed. She was feeling rather frustrated lately. Because of… What Julie told her… She closed her eyes and remembered the conversation they had earlier.

"I think… I like him…" Julie said, looking on the ground. "But… I know he has you… It's just that, I don't know what to do in this situation…"

"Julie…" Sophie whispered. "Is this, your first time?"

She poked her fingers on each other repeatedly and nodded.

Sophie looked down with her ears dropping. "Honestly… I don't know…" she answered. "Max was my first too… And I never felt anything for anyone else. So I wouldn't know what to do…"

The younger hare frowned a bit. "If it's okay with you… Do you think I can talk to him about it…? Just to get it off my chest."

Sophie looked at her little sister and walked towards her. She placed a paw on her shoulder and smiled. "Why not?" she said.

Julie smiled back faintly. "I'll try to find a suitable time…" she said. "Thanks for your time, sis." With that said, Julie walked back into the house with Sophie standing there.

"Sis, huh…?" she said to herself with a smile. "When was the last time I hear her called me that…?" And just then, she felt her chest tightening. She looked down and placed a paw on her heart. She didn't quite understand what it was. Could this be… Jealousy?

No, no, it can't be. She's seen other females talking and even flirting with Max before but she has never been jealous. Or… Can it actually be that this was the first time she was feeling this way?

She shook her head and smack her cheeks a few times before getting back to her composure. Right now, the SnowBall comes first.

After going back to that moment, Sophie buried her face in her pillow. She groaned and kicked her bed gently. Just thinking about it gives her an uneasy feeling.

"Max…" she called softly. A knock on her door sounded and she sat up. "It's not locked," she said.

When the door was opened, Julie's head popped in. "Hey," she said, waving awkwardly.

Sophie smiled, seeing her little sister. "Hey, Jules," she replied. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking… To get some Christmas presents. But I don't know what to get… So, do you wanna come with?"

Sophie rubbed her pillow that she grabbed earlier with her thumbs.

"Maybe… Like a present for Max?"

Sophie looked back at her bed and trailed her fingers on the sheet down in a squiggle.

"If not, then I guess I can find a gift for Max myself," Julie said in a little sad tone.

Sophie's ear stood up and she faced her sister quickly. "Wait!" she called. She got off of bed and nodded. "I'll go."

Meanwhile with Max… He was at a jewellery store looking at some rings.

A lot of the mammals were keeping an eye on him since he was dressing rather… Suspicious… How, you ask? Well… A mammal with a grey hoodie walks into a jewellery store but with his hood on. The reason why was because his ears were getting cold. Though, many mammals around him were watching him just in case.

But it didn't take long for the fox to finally pick a ring with a diamond encrusted on it. "That one," he said, pointing at it.

"C-certainly…" said the female polar bear salesmammal. She looked at him with a very careful look to which Max noticed.

"It's the hood, isn't it?" he asked. "Don't worry. It's just cold outside. I'll be out before you know it."

She looked at him a bit more before giving a smile. "Of coure… Sorry, sir…" She brought out the ring carefully, making sure the glass is untouched. "Proposing to a girlfriend?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "It's for a friend. For HIM to propose to his girlfriend. One day, that is."

She carefully placed it in the bag. "That would be $6500," she said.

"Price really has increased these days huh?" Max joked, taking out his card. "Oh, and also, do you know where I can buy a couple of wedding rings?"

At the Glacier Mall… The two jills were looking at some clothes, all medium size ones.

"Do you think he'll like this?" Julie said showing Sophie a plain white shirt with long sleeves.

"Max isn't the formal kind though…" Sophie said, placing a finger on her chin. "He normally likes t-shirts. Something like…" She looked around for anything short sleeved ones and pick one up from hanging. "This one." It was a plain black t-shirt.

"But… It's cold lately. And I don't think he'll feel comfortable."

Sophie gave it some thought for a bit and put the t-shirt she picked up back to where it was hanging. "You're right… But he won't like it though…" she said with crossed arms.

"Really?"

Sophie nodded. "I once bought him one and he didn't like it. But, he DID appreciate it. Only…" She stayed quiet for a moment and remembered the last time he wore it. Which was… Never. She sighed. "Nevermind…"

Julie blinked and giggled. "You really seem to know about him a lot, huh?" she said.

"Not much actually…" Sophie said, crossing her arms back. "All he talks about is his animes and mangas and anything Japanese-related. He's never told me anything besides any of that. Even when were kits back then…"

"But isn't that good at least?" Julie said putting back the shirt she picked up earlier. "You and him have each other to talk to."

Sophie looked down and smiled. "Yea, you're right… It's his decision to tell me or not…"

Julie smiled at her big sister and she blinked again the moment she realized something. "Did you say… He was an otaku?"

"Er… What?"

Julie blushed and turned around quickly and her body shivered.

"Julie… Are you okay?" Sophie asked.

"Huh?" she said turning around. "Oh yea, yea," she said with a gleeful smile and a brighter blush than before. I think I may have found a Christmas present for him then."

"What… Is it…?" For some reason, Sophie could feel nothing else but worry. As if… The feeling like she's about to lose something…

"For now, we gotta find you a present for him," she said, with confidence.

Sophie's paws turned into fist and both were shaking. What was going through her little sister's mind?

* * *

 **A/N:** _Sorry if it's short here. But it's meant to be like that. Because by next week is the chapter where Nick and Judy arrived. I'm sure you have your complaints and you have the right to since I purposefully made it short. I'm not sure next one will be longer but all I can say is that this story is coming to an end. I have more plans though so don't be so upset. :P_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** _Hello, everyone! Erricane has been quite busy with stuff lately. That guy seriously is addicted to anime now. Which is the reason why he couldn't update this story. However! I, Silver, will finish this for him. I already know what he wanted to write but the guy seriously priotize his addiction for his fandom more than doing his work. Lazy, I know. But he will be back once he's done with the fandom. So as for now, I will be the owner of this profile! Though, we already share the profile anyway but I never got to write which is the reason why I let Erricane use his pen name instead. But anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! And Erricane apologizes to all of you for leaving you all hanging._

 **Disclaimer:** _I'm suppose to put something here… Zootopia belongs to Disney and Disney only. Except for the characters in this story._

* * *

"Hey, sis," Julie called as they walked. "What anime does Max-san like?"

" _Max-san…?_ " thought Sophie. "Er… I don't know actually." She tilted her head a bit when answering. That was the first time she's heard Max being called that. And 'san'? She was confuse at what that meant.

"Ah, mou…" Julie said with puff cheeks. "I thought he was your boyfriend." She placed her paws behind her neck and leaned her head back.

" _Max-san?! Mou?!_ " Sophie realized that she heard of these words before. Back at the beauty salon, she remembered Kitsuna, one of Max's acquaintance back when he was in Japan. And she realized… The way her sister was talking has the same kind of tone that the female fox have.

"Um… Julie…" she called with a nervous expression. "You wouldn't happen to be a fan of anime are you…?"

Julie smiled and stopped at her track. "Yep!" she answered without hesitation.

Sophie just looked at her and she felt her body getting a little heavy. Somehow… Anyone related to her… They would be something Japanese-related.

"And also, sis…" The younger hare raised her index finger with a wink. "We're called otakus." She giggled slyly.

Hearing that made Sophie more depressed almost as if she was left out from the circle of her relationship with anyone. However… She was never the type to think negatively so easily. After all, she also know that this was the first time she and her little sister has ever communicated this much. And it felt really refreshing at least.

She stood up straight and finally got rid of that depression with a smile. "Otaku, got it," she said with a nod.

Julie looked at her sister in surprised and smiled with her jaw dropped and eyes of hope. "T-then…" she stopped halfway before looking away with a flushed face. "Is it okay if I call you… Nee-san?"

Sophie blinked a few times and giggled. "What does it mean, first of all?"

"It means big sister."

'Big sister'… It was the first time Sophie has ever been called that. Of course, it's not in a language she understand. But it sure had a big meaning to it.

"Sure," Sophie said, nodding. "At least it's better than 'sis'.

The two of them eventually head on to the top floor where the entertainment section is. This was Sophie's first time at a place like this. She had no reason to since she never had real friends to enjoy it with. But for someone like Julie, it was quite beneficial. The sisters kept walking until they reach to their destination.

"Hey, Julie," Sophie called. "Now that I think about it. How come you never told us about your passion for anime?"

"Huh? Um…" She placed her index finger on her chin and looked up. "I guess I was just afraid all of you might find me strange." She smiled while saying that.

"Why? Silvia will definitely won't mind."

"Well… It's just that…" She scratched the back of her head a bit. "From what I read from the internet, there's this conspiracy where only one member of a family will like anime. The rest will hate it. Like, they will hate it so much that they will take anything related to anime away."

Sophie frowned and a drop of sweat rolled down her temple. " _Didn't you say it was a conspiracy…?_ " she thought. "Ah, that also reminds me. You've never let anyone in your room, have you? But what about the maids when cleaning your room?"

"Oh, that? I actually tidied my own room. I told them they can take the credit and be quiet about it. After all, I couldn't take the risk."

" _She's been cleaning her room by herself?!_ " Sophie exclaimed loudly in her thoughts. She sniffed. " _She can definitely survive!_ "

"Nee-san? Are you okay?" Julie noticed Sophie's sudden reaction.

"Ah, yes, yes!" Sophie wiped her nose. She has never been so proud to have another independent sibling.

"We're here!" Julie said proudly. "Jan jaaaan!"

Sophie looked up at the sign of the shop. 'Otaku Island'. Inside was a very bright and colorful themed store with beautifully drawn characters on the wall as wallpapers. There were even multiple gashapons on either side of the entrance. Mangas were neatly stacked on the shelves and figurines were placed in glass cases. The shop was rather quiet as all the customers were browsing around for any product worth buying.

"Come on!" Julie grabbed her sisters paw and dragged her in happily.

Seeing her sister's happy reaction, somehow made her happy as well. It must have been the first time she's been so open to someone.

"Ah, look, look!" Julie commented, pointing at a figurine of a white vixen with red eyes, and a black uniform with a red tie, wielding a katana. "Do you think he'll like Akame?"

Sophie nervously laughed. "I… Don't know… But I'm sure he does…"

Julie looked back at the figurine. "Then I'll get him this then!" She went to fetch the store clerk to help get the figurine down for her carefully.

Sophie was looking at some of the keychains. Unlike Julie, she knows nothing about the world of anime. But she saw something that caught her eyes. There were two matching keychains. One which was red, the other pink. The keychains were shaped what looked like a bird standing on a hook. She picked them out and stared at them.

"Ah! That looks perfect!" Julie said after seeing what her sister found. "Nee-chan, you DO know what to look for, huh?" Julie nudged her sister as if she was teasing her.

Sophie gave the same nervous laugh as before. "You think he'll like it?"

"Oh, trust me." Julie closed Sophie's hand to hold on to the keychains. "He'll love it." With that said, she gave her a wink and a smile.

( _The keychains Sophie bought were two Fairy Tail symbols. One red and one pink. I'm sure some of you get what I'm trying to say here. ;)_ )

Meanwhile with Max…

The young fox had returned home with many bags in his paws. His hoodie was zipped all the way up, covering his lower muzzle along with his hood covering the top of his head. Yet, he sneezed.

It was getting rather colder than before. Probably due to the season.

"Can't they at least increase the temperature?" Max said to himself. "I seriously need to stop talking to myself…"

As he entered the manor, he quickly shut the door as quickly as he can to avoid any cool air from entering. And shook his head, flicking the snow off of his fur and sighed to get a little warm after putting down his hood. He blinked a little to get his vision back.

And the first thing he noticed was the whole manor was brightly lit with bulbs hanging on the side of the ceilings along with some reefs. He could hear some rustling in the main hall even. He walked towards the noise and spotted some mammals were putting up and decorating a large Christmas tree with Damien standing there, watching them with crossed arms across his chest. The Christmas tree was so huge that it almost touched the ceiling.

"Make sure you cover everywhere with the decorations," he said. More like, demanded. "And be sure to put the star firmly this time."

Max watched this and somehow, he had a feeling of disgust but didn't show it. "Oi," he called walking up to the hare.

The jack shuddered and turned around quickly. "Lord, don't surprise me like that!" he scolded softly with a strong frown. "You predators… Really, I can't ever turn my backs for a second…"

Max glanced at some of the workers. He noticed the predators were a little hurt after Damien's remarks. Even the preys were concern about their employer.

"What do you want?" Damien asked, looking back at the workers.

"An answer," Max answered a little coldly. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Huh? You mean this? It's just preparing for Christmas like we always do every year."

Max watched them carefully hang the ornaments with his eyes showing a hint of disappointment. He turned to Damien. "Then why aren't you doing it?"

Damien sighed. "Because I'm too small. Do you even think before asking the question?"

Max's right ear twitched a little. "Of course, I do. So, answer me. What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you suffer from short term memory loss? I've already told you."

"That wasn't an answer. You said you are preparing for Christmas, yet you're standing her giving orders. Now answer my question truthfully this time."

"What kind of bizarre explanation is that?!" Damien was starting to lose his cool as he faced Max completely, uncrossing his arms. "What you are saying does not make sense! Now that I think about it… Sophie said you were a delinquent during your school days after you left Zootopia, weren't you?"

Max shook his head slowly. "I know it doesn't make sense…" he said turning his backs on the hare. "But at least it has a meaning to it… A prey should know this. I'm surprise I, the predator, understood it more than you, the prey."

Damien choked a little when he heard that. He looked down at Max's paws and noticed several bags. "Oh? Shoplifting again? As expected from a delinquint." The jack smirked and crossed his arms just like before as if he managed to insult the fox to the fullest.

"You have no proof of that. Do you even think before asking questions?" Max mocked before walking up to his room.

Being shot by his own quote truly left the prey almost speechless. "You…!" Damien bit his lip, stopping midsentence as he watched the guest of the family walked up the stairs.

Max could have been proud of what he said, but he just couldn't. After all, he knew very well where it will lead if the argument kept going. He just could not stop thinking of how immature the eldest son in the family can be. " _Really now…_ " he thought. " _Someone like you can never understand what Christmas mean…_ "

"Ah, Max!" Silvia's voice was heard from the other side of the hall.

Max turned to her. "Yo," he greeted tonelessly as usual.

"Oh, Christmas gifts?" she asked, walking up to him while noticing the bags in his paws.

He nodded. "I made sure everyone in the manor gets one," he answered.

"But…" Silvia counted carefully. "That's more than 20 stuffs in there."

"I know. I did say everyone in the manor gets one. Each."

"Eh?!" Silvia was in disbelief when he said that. "As in… Every… Single… One…?"

Max nodded again. "It's as thanks for taking care of me for the holidays. That's why everyone who lives and works here gets their share of presents."

"Y-you don't have to!" Silvia said with a nervous laugh. "There's no need to spend so much on this household!"

"It's fine. This isn't even a bit."

"Huh?" Her eyes immediately turned into two dots after hearing his exclaimation.

"I've already got too much money anyway. So I don't mind."

Silvia's eye twitched. "Um… Exactly… How much do you have…?"

Max looked up the ceiling while doing some math. "In Zootopian dollars… 30 trillion or more?"

A huge silence filled in their conversation and the only thing Silvia could hear were the voices in her head, like, 'What did he do back then?!' or 'How did he get so much?!' Truly he has beaten the Glace's annual income. But the problem was that the 30 trillion wasn't even his income and it'll take years for anyone to reach that much. But him? At the age of 20 even.

"If you wanna know, I robbed banks," Max said which brought the older jill to look up at him. "Christmas is coming so I should not lie. And I can tell from the long silence, you're probably wondering how I got that much. Not just rob banks. I would help with drug trafficking, kidnap or kill targets for clients for how much they are worth, and maybe even sell illegal contrabands. But if you want my most honest answer… I never liked doing any of those… They were just jobs that I'm capable of doing…"

Silvia looked into his eyes. Althought his face no signs of emotion, his eyes looked serious about it and she smiled hesitantly. "Honesty is the best virtue…" she said. "Then… What about now? Now that you're dating my sister."

"I left all that behind after the ZPD cleared my records," he said without hesitation. "Right now, I'm an employee at YakDonald who just wants to live his own life with someone he cares deeply for. And…" He faced the door to his room. "Not get her involve into any of those things."

Silvia listened in awe and nodded with a gentle and honest smile. "Then…" She winked at him and give him a thumbs-up. "I'll leave Sophie in your paws from now on."

Max nodded slowly, trying to smile but couldn't.

"Hm? You don't smile so much, do you?" she said after noticing his attemption to grin.

"It's not like I don't want to. It's just that I can't. Anymore."

Silvia raised an index finger. "But! I caught you smiling whenever you're with Sophie. In other words, she's the only mammal that you can really show your true self. Don't worry!" She placed a fist on her chest. "As your future sister-in-law, I'll accept you no matter how you look!"

A gloomy aura wrapped around Max. He felt a little annoyed but in a good way. " _This female is like one of those noisy anime girls…_ " he thought. " _But… It's not like I hate that type anyway…_ "

"We're home!" Sophie's voice echoed from the front door.

Silvia looked down from above. "Hey, you two!" Silvia exclaimed in a cheerful tone. "Where did you run off to? We were suppose to help with the dance hall."

"Sorry…" Sophie said, closing the door after Julie entered. "We'll get to it. Just let us hide our gifts."

Max leaned over the railing and waved at his girlfriend. "Okaeri," he said. With a smile this time.

Sophie smiled back after noticing him. She was about to wave back until…

"Tadaima!" Julie quickly replied, waving at the fox.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Alright! What do you all think? I hope it's not that bad. As I've said before, I'll probably finish this for Erricane instead so we can get this story done quick. Yes, I said we because it's also my story. Expect the next chapter written by me again! Silver, going back to work! Whoosh! :D_

Side notes

Gashapon: A type of vending machine that is common in Japan where you get mini prizes in a ball for 100 to 500 yen depending on the value of the prize.

Okaeri: 'Welcome home' in Japanese.

Tadaima: 'We're/I'm home' in Japanese.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N (S):** _Hello, everyone! Silver here! Thanks so much for reading that chapter. Erricane even said there's probably no one reading this story anymore but I'm sure that's not what he thinks. Right now, he and I are working on this chapter together only I'm doing the writing. I had fun writing last one. Who knew it'd be this much fun to tell stories like this? Anyway, onwards!_

 **A/N (E):** _'Sup?_

 **Disclaimer:** _Zoo-To-Pi-A be-longs to Dis-ney~_

* * *

That evening, after everyone has kept their gifts in their rooms until Christmas arrives, they were all busy preparing for tomorrow's event. It'll be the 24th soon by the time the clock strikes 12. And there were still plenty of time left to prepare everything.

It was past 6 o'clock in the evening. The young fox had already received the rest of the gifts while the others were working on tomorrow's dance. Luckily, no one was there at that time. But to play it safe, he was waiting outside. Even though he was freezing, this was still nothing to him. Eventually, the wait was worth it and no one caught him with more presents being sneaked into his room.

And as soon as he had received all of them, he made sure he counted them. He doesn't know just how many mammals were there but he was confident that it was more than enough for everybody in the manor.

He stretched his arms a bit and sighed heavily. Twisting his arms back repeatedly and flexing his back muscles a bit. He took another breath in and letting it out quick before blinking. And twisting his neck a little was enough to get his body moving again. He was doing nothing but counting the presents repeatedly for almost 10 minutes and his body almost gave in from barely moving. Probably due to the cold temperature.

He stepped out and yawned a little, a drop of tear forming on his right eye. He scratched his back a little. "I guess I should help out…" he said to himself.

"It'd be really helpful," said a cheerful voice beside him. He turned to his right to find… Julie. "Yahallo!" she said with a smile befitting her age.

Max blinked a couple of times and raised his left paw up slowly. "Yo," he responded with no emotion.

"You can help with the dance hall," Julie said. "I'll show you where it is."

"I know where it is. I've seen it while I was learning the place."

"Then…" She stepped in front of him. "Shall we walk together? Sempai~?"

Max, once again, blinked but a few more times. " _Sempai?_ " he thought. "Lead the way. Kouhai."

She looked at him at first and her eyes shone a glimmer of hope. "Leave it to me!" she exclaimed showing him a peace sign.

Max frowned a little before following her. " _Since when have I been her senior? Whatever, I guess._ "

"Neh, sempai," Julie called, slowing down a little to keep the same pace as him. "Do you like anime?"

"Yea, I do," he answered without hesitating.

Julie was a little surprise at this. " _S-so straightforward!_ " she thought. "Ah ha, does your family know about it?"

"I only had parents. And yes, they knew. From when I was still a kit even."

"S-so young?!"

"Uh," he said, nodding. "But it's not like I care about what other's think. And plus, mom and dad didn't mind about it. Only, they told me to use my own money if I ever wanna get some things that I want. Like a toy or something. That's why the only thing I can get are mangas."

"How mean! To not at least treat their own child to get something he wants?! If it was me, I… Would…" Julie's words trailed off when she noticed Max stopped walking.

The fox looked at her with no emotions showing. However, his eyes were not joking about what he was about to say. "Mean…?" was the first word he said. "Call it whatever you want. But no child should call their parents that. Whether or not if they are adopted."

Julie felt her spine tingling. It wasn't fear but more like, she was dumbfounded. "N-now that I think about it… Sophie-neechan said you were adopted, right?"

Max looked down. "I was adopted, yes. But that was because I was aware. Regardless, I trusted them with all my heart… I loved them… But…" He looked up to her a bit. And to her surprise, she saw tear slowly rolling down his cheeks but his face still show no emotions. "They never got to see me grow up to be the fox that I am today… I never even said goodbye when I ran away from home…" Max sniffed a little and wiped his face dry before getting back is posture. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "No matter what, Jules. Remember this. There's no such thing as parents that don't accept their children. If they don't like what you're interested in, then just keep doing it until they decide to support you."

Julie found herself baffled. This was the first time she has seen Max like this. Who would have thought a normal conversation on the way to the dance hall would turn into something so serious. She looked down, thinking about what her family would say if they found out about her hobby.

"From your face, I can tell you must have something that you didn't share with your family," Max explained which brought her to look up at him. "But that's not my business. Just take this as an advice from your sempai." He placed a paw on her head.

And eventually, she found herself blushing and shook her head to get his paw off. "Y-yes!" she said with her eyes shut tightly. This was the first time anyone has ever did such a thing for her. It was almost as if she was experiencing a senior/junior relationship from the anime that she's seen a lot lately. Even her heart was beating fast.

"Jules?" Max called.

Julie immediately opened her eyes when she heard her name being called. "Y-yes?!"

"Lead the way?"

"Eh? Oh!" She almost forgot about where they were heading. She tried her best to keep her posture in check while walking to the dance hall. And successfully too.

But what was making her trying her best was this uneasy feeling in her chest. Could this be…? Love…? She knew she thought of Max as handsome when she first saw him. But she never imagined she'd think of him as something else.

She shook her head a lot more and slap her cheeks a few times lightly. " _He has a girlfriend already!_ " she thought. " _And it's your sister! Get a grip!_ "

"You okay?" Max called out after noticing the slaps she gave herself.

"Huh?!" she turned quickly while continuing to walk. "Yea! I am!"

Max tilted his head a bit. "If you have any problem, I guess you can talk to me. I'm not the kind of mammal that would judge others and their opinions after all."

'I guess you can talk to me'. Those words caught her attention the most and only made her blush more furiously. So furiously that her long ears are even visibly red.

Of course, Max just being Max, he didn't question why her face was turning red. He sighed. " _Not this again…_ " he thought placing the palm of his paw on his forehead. He recognized this situation. He knew this feeling.

And this wasn't the first time he's had mammals falling for him. Males or females, it doesn't matter. He would turn them down all the time. He was asexual after all. And he was glad too. He knew where this situation was going to lead. He decided to let it slide since he's not the type to force someone out for something so… Cliché.

The dance hall wasn't as busy as he thought it would be. They were just waxing the floor while he noticed Silvia helped prepare fresh new curtains for the windows. Max turned left and right, trying to find Sophie.

"Ano… Max-san…" Julie called which he paid attention to her. "Would you… Like to be my dance partner tomorrow…?"

"Sure," Max answered immediately.

His quick answer caught her by surprise. "B-b-but! Don't you have, Sophie-neechan?!" she stuttered.

"You said dance partner, right?" he said looking at her. "Nothing wrong with that. And I know that Sophie isn't the jealous type. She's just worried. But I know I won't make her."

"Still…" Julie side poking on each tip of her index fingers.

Max glanced at her and sighed. "I've danced with other mammals before. True that they try to get romantic with me but you should know, I'm asexual."

She froze from his answer and blushed furiously. "Y-you… You said… 'Other' mammals… Does that include… Males…?"

"Yea. I'm not against it."

Her face was flushed full-on red and she covered her face. She could feel her face heating up in her paws. "Oh… My…" she muttered in her paws. Julie's thoughts has been filled with… A lot of fantasies… And her tingling ears were enough to indicate it.

Max frowned and his eyes widened. " _Don't tell me…_ " he thought. He knew what kind of otaku Julie was now… A fujoshi…

Unlike the typical main character in every anime, Max wasn't dense at all. He knew what she was thinking the moment he saw her reaction when he said he wasn't against dancing with males. But just to be sure…

"I would even date them as thanks for their help," he continued and observed the young hare.

And after saying that, she froze for a second and her knees began to tremble.

There was no doubt about it now. She's a fujoshi. And a closet one too. He could feel a drop of sweat rolling down his temple with him staring at her with squinted eyes.

But eventually, Julie's red face disappeared and she cleared her throat. "A-anyway," she continued. "You said you were asexual, right? Why are you dating, Sophie-neechan, then?"

" _This hare…_ " Max thought. " _Is she seriously talking as if she's in an anime? Whatever. I'll play along._ " He shrugged. "Because it shows that she's special to me. The only one that can actually make me go against my sexuality. I guess you could say I was lucky that I can still be in love."

"So… So…" She held up two fists and placed them on her chest, while saying it to Max. "So romantic! You should make a book about it! Sophie-neechan even told me you wrote a book about your life! I think it would totally…"

" _This girl…_ " Max thought, blocking all her words from his head. " _Is she really that desperate to find love that she's trying to make one…?_ "

"Having fun, you two?" said a familiar voice, coming towards them. The two of them turned to see Silvia who was smiling.

"Yo," Max greeted.

However, Julie just remained silent and lowered her head, blushing from embarrassment. "I'll… I'm gonna go find, Sophie…" she said softly before running off.

Max frowned and turned back to Silvia. "What's wrong with her, by the way?"

"Who knows?" Silvia shrugged, crossing her arms. "But on the side note, I've never seen her being so opened towards anyone before. Well, until today that is."

"Today?"

The jill nodded. "Sophie AND you. Yet, I, her eldest sibling, she can't share."

"Maybe because you're not the same otaku?"

"Otaku? What's that?"

Max's head began to process. He could hear the gears grinding in his head as he was doing some math. He could hear a 'ding' in his head as he picture a light bulb on top of him.

"I see…" he muttered. "So it's that, huh?"

"What's it?"

"It's nothing. I'll talk to her later. But first, where's Sophie?"

Meanwhile with Sophie…

The hare was at the greenhouse looking at some flowers while humming a tune. She was really impressed at how long these flowers managed to stand especially in this kind of atmosphere. She was more impressed because those were the same ones that never left their spot when she was young. And they were real too.

She touched a rose's petal and her nose twitched a little from the smell. Sweet. So sweet she could eat it. She sighed and her ears got all droopy. "I wonder how he's holding up now…?" she spoke to herself.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Max's voice appeared so close at the back of her ear.

She shivered a little and in an instant, turned around with a flushed face, her mouth hanging opened as she screamed. "M-Max!" she yelled. "Don't do that!" She patted her chest from almost getting a heart attack.

Max backed off a little as an apology. "Sorry," he said in his usual toneless voice. "It was kinda funny though."

Sophie's ears sprang up. "You're not laughing though…" she said, still with her paw placed on her chest.

"I just can't, remember? But on the inside, I am."

"…"

Max could feel a dark aura surrounding her and felt a little uneasy with this feeling. "You gonna kill me?" he asked as politely as he can.

"Would you run if I say yes?" she said with an almost sinister voice.

"Of course not. I made a promise to not run away anymore, didn't I?"

And just like that, the dark aura disappeared. Sophie looked at him and then turned away from facing him with a blush. "Yea, well… I would if I wanted to… Just… I'm just not capable as you are…"

"Right," he said nodding. "Anyway, the dance is tomorrow, right?"

Sophie's eyes opened a bit more and looked at him. "Yea…?"

Max scratched the back of his head. "You should know this…"

Sophie took a step closer to him, her tail wiggling a little with a hopeful smile.

"Just now… Julie asked if I could dance with her and I said yes."

Sophie froze there with her hopeful smile still masked on her face. She could feel her surroundings getting darker and gloomier and even heard countless glass shattering on the ground around her. No respond came out of her as she just stood there still frozen with the smile.

"However," Max continued. "Just so you know, it'll only be a dance and nothing else." He placed his index finger on her nose. "You're my date after all. I'm just her dance partner."

Sophie, who was frozen stiff just now, returned to her composure and gave a more cheerful grin. "I understand," she said. "Thanks for telling me." She sighed in relief. " _What the heck…? I was worried all for nothing…_ "

"There's just one problem though." Max raised up his index finger in the air. "I can't dance."

Later…

"Okay, so you just do what I do but only in reverse," Sophie said, grabbing his paws. "For example: If I step back with my left leg, you move your right leg forward. This is as simplest lesson to learn when dancing. Just follow my lead okay?" She placed his left paw on her hips while she held on to his right paw with her left and rest her right on his left forearm.

He did as she taught him. However, he was hesitating at each step because he thought he might get it wrong. But so far, no errors. Yet, that is…

"That's it, you got it," she commented looking at his feet. "Now we're about to turn okay? Just follow me." He was a split second late there and Sophie even had to use a little bit of her strength to pull Max along with her. "Just relax okay? Follow my lead."

They practiced and practiced and eventually, Max learned a little more than just basics. It was just a simple dance.

"Is this seriously how mammals dance at balls?" Max asked while practicing.

"Mhm," she nodded.

Silence at first. "Boring…" he commented.

Sophie choked a little and kept going anyway. This was suppose to be romantic but to have someone reviewing it harshly and without hesitation almost made her freeze like in the greenhouse just now.

"Can you at least say something nice about this…" she asked, smiling weakly with her left eye twitching.

Max looked at her while trying to say something. "I'm happy because you're dancing with me, so, I guess that's a good point right?"

This time, her right eye twitched.

"Besides," he grazed her cheek with his gloved paw and smiled. "I don't smile towards anyone, you know."

Sophie blushed as she looked up at him. And to make it worse, she just realize how close his face was due to the fact that he has a long snout. And because of that, her face got redder than before. Her mouth slowly opened and her face flushed even more furiously from her chin to her ear. Not even her fur managed to cover it.

Max moved his face back a little. "Sorry…" he said, his smile gone. "To us with long noses, it's normal distance."

She let go of him and placed her paws on the closest table or counter she could find and took her time to breathe. Earlier in her head, she was actually imagining that situation but in a more public place like the dance tomorrow where everyone else will be able to see. Everyone else… Witnessing…

Her paws started shaking and she covered her face while moving her head left and right with a loud squee in her head.

She stood still for a while and took a deep breath and letting it out. She turned back to face him. "Well, I guess that's all I can teach for now," she said. "Besides, it's not like you want to be the center of attention right?"

The fox looked at his girlfriend and placed his paw on top of her head. "You know me too well," he said showing that smile once more.

She blinked a couple of times and puffed her cheeks with a smirk. "O-of course," she said proudly. "I'm your girlfriend after all."

* * *

 **A/N (S):** _And that will do for chapter 7. And it has been confirmed that it will indeed end soon. 2 chapters to go and it's bye-bye to this story._

 **A/N (E):** _Really appreciate to those who stuck with this story. I know I've been lazy but Silver got me back to writing. With a little help from him of course. He will be writing the next one and I will write the last chapter. Thanks for staying with the story._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** _Silver here. Just so you know, I'll be writing this chapter and next chapter, which is the final chapter, will be written by Erricane. So, without further ado, let Christmas eve begin!_

 **Disclaimer:** _Zootopia belongs to Disney! (Why did I yell that?)_

* * *

Christmas eve… It was early in the morning around 2 am. It was truly a silent night in the Glace's household. Not a single sound was made. And everyone should have been asleep by now. Everyone but Julie.

She kept rolling left and right with a frown on her face. She opened her eyes a bit and faced the ceiling, placing her wrist on her forehead thinking of what happened last evening.

Max has already accepted her as her dance partner. And to top it off, Sophie said it was fine. And the thought of that has really never left her mind.

She sat up and sighed. "Tomorrow is Christmas…" she muttered. She got off from her bed and head down to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. And as she reached the kitchen, she turned on the lights and jumped when she saw someone already sitting at the counter.

The mammal turned to his left at her and blinked with a blank expression. It was Max who was drinking a can of soda. "Yo," he said.

Julie patted her chest a bit from the shock and sighed. "W-why are you here…?" she stuttered. "With the lights off even."

He turned back to face in front of him at the wall. "I'm just thirsty." Then pointed at his eyes. "And foxes have night visions. Unlike others, mine is the best." She nodded, after understanding. "Can't sleep?" he continued, putting his arm back down on the counter.

She nodded. "Just… Getting nervous, you know…? About the dance… With you. It's my first time."

"Well, it's mine too. So we'll both humiliate ourselves."

She chuckled and walked to the cabinet to grab a glass. "What's keeping YOU awake?" she asked, looking through the cabinets.

"It's a normal thing. Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I don't. Once, I've never slept for 4 days straight when I was given a bodyguard job. And normally, anything sweet will keep me awake." He lifted up his can and shook it gently. "This one for example."

Julie looked over and saw him shaking the can. "You said anything sweet keeps you awake, right? Why are you drinking it now then? You could have just grab some water."

Max stayed silent for a while and looked up at the can after realizing it. "Huh… Should have thought about that… I guess no sleep for me for tonight…"

Julie laughed quietly and tried to reach for a glass at the top cabinet. She was going for a large one but wasn't able to grab it. She tried stretching her arms and fingers until… Someone else grabbed it. She turned around to see Max behind her with the glass.

"Here," he said handing it to her.

She looked up at him and blushed with her ears being lowered. She never knew he was so tall before. She stared at him with glimmering eyes, mesmerized by his looks.

"Hey," he said, chopping her head very, very gently. "Don't go falling for me. I've already told you that you're not the only one that has fallen for me."

She looked at the glass and slowly took it from his paw.

"Seriously now…" he said, placing his fingers on his forehead.

"S-sorry…" she apologized. "It's just that… No guy… Has ever… Gotten this close to me before… Physically, that is…" She covered half her face with her paws still holding the glass while looking away from him.

Max looked at her. "Maybe because you're a closet otaku. Why not find some friends with the same interest with you? Maybe someone online?"

"You think that online friends are real friends?!" she asked suddenly with wide eyes.

The fox nodded. "As long as the word 'friends' is there, it still counts. Besides…" He sat back to where he was drinking. "Friendship comes in many forms after all. All you need to do is meet them eventually."

"Um… I've never… Met any of them…"

Max's right ear twitched and then turned to her. "Don't you guys plan like a face-to-face meet-up?"

"It's just that…!" She closed her eyes and turned to the sink to prevent herself from looking at him. "We scheduled it… But… I… I was too afraid to meet them… From what I heard, there were many kinds of otakus. What if we don't like the same thing? What if we don't see eye-to-eye just because we have different taste? What if…?" She stopped halfway when she felt a paw on her head. She looked at the reflection of the window to see Max placed it on her.

"I get it," he said. "Then how about this? The next meet-up, go this time. And tell me where. I'll be there to support you."

She turned around quickly and smiled at him. "You will?!" she asked cheerfully.

Max patted her heard twice and nodded. "I never tell a lie. After all, you're practically family to me now. Like… A little sister."

'A little sister'… Somehow those words stabbed Julie in the heart and she just froze there and looked at him with almost dead eyes. The words 'little sister' kept echoing in her head. " _Did I… Just get siszoned…?_ " she thought depressingly.

"Jules? You okay?"

She slowly turned back to the sink. "Nothing," she said with an emotionless tone, finally pouring water into her glass. "Max? Can I call you… 'Oniichan'?"

The young fox's ears twitched. "I guess it makes sense since I called you my little sister already. Sure, why not?"

"Then, oniichan…" She turned back to him. "Are you a siscon?"

After hearing that question, the fox chopped her head as lightly as he can like earlier. "Don't get the wrong idea," he said before turning away and tossing the now empty can into the trashbin. He stopped at the entrance and waved at her without looking. "Oyasumi, imouto," he said turning his head to look at her with a smile.

Julie gasped softly and watched Max returned to his room. She gripped the glass tightly and her body shaking. "He… He…" she muttered. She looked at her reflection on the water in her glass and drank it hurriedly before going for another round. And another. And another. She breathed heavily and her legs eventually went limp and gave in. However, still holding on to the sink for support and looking at the remaining liquid in it, staring at her own reflection again, she smiled. "He… Smiled…" she sighed in relief.

This was the first time Max has ever smiled to someone else in a while. It can only mean one thing. She was on Max's trust list. But… Unlike her sister, Sophie, she was special. Max felt more comfortable showing his emotion to her than anyone else. However, Julie believes that there's still hope.

She stared at her reflection on the window with half-closed eyes with a smile. She stood up and sighed, putting the glass upside down on the counter. "Well… Off to bed," she said to herself, stretching her arms. After what happened just now, she was sure she will definitely be getting some sleep.

Few hours later as the sun rose… It was finally here. The 24th. When the clock struck 7 in the morning, everyone in the Glace household were awoken by their alarm clocks. Slowly, every one of them exited their rooms and were ready for the final touches for tonight's dance.

When Sophie woke up, she quickly rushed to Max's room and knocked on the door. "Max!" she called. "Wake up!" No respond. She slowly turned the doorknob to find his room empty. More like, it looked untouched. She entered his room and checked for any signs of him being present there before. And this was when she panicked. His cellphone was left on the table. " _He's gone!_ " she thought. The panic didn't last too long though.

As soon as she thought of that, Max's phone vibrated.

She looked at it and saw that he had a new text message. It was from Nick. She tilted her head and opened it. And what she read, made her smile for the first time today.

" _Morning, Soph. I forgot my phone and I'm borrowing Nick's. Don't worry. Just showing them where their hotels are. Will be back soon though. Take care._ "

She sighed in relief and put his phone back to where it was. Since coming to this place, Sophie would definitely check on Max every morning to either wake him up or check if he was there. And today was special which was the reason why she was panicking. But luckily, Max realized his phone and knew she was coming to check on it. And what great timing too.

She headed for the showers to start off the day. But paused when she heard the showers running on the other side. She could hear someone singing too. It was Julie's voice. And she sounded like she was in a good mood. Sophie smiled as this was the first time she's seen Julie like this.

Wait…

Her eyes shot wide open when she realized it. First time… To even wake up early? And to even sing in the morning?! And what's more, was the first to use the bathroom before her?!

The jill blinked a few times and shook her head along with her ears flopping. " _Don't be silly_ ," she thought. " _I'm sure something good must have happened. Oh! Maybe because Max accepted her dance request. Yea… That's gotta be it. I DID allow them to dance together._ "

The shower stopped and she stood there waiting for her sister to exit the bathroom.

And she was right. It WAS Julie who was inside and is currently wrapped in her towel and still drying off her fur with another.

Julie noticed her elder sister standing there and greeted her before she could. "Ohayou!" she said cheerfully with a gleeful smile.

"Morning, Julie," Sophie replied with a smile of her own. "You seem to be in a good mood today."

"Mm!" she nodded. "Last night, Max-oniichan was so cool! He promised he'll get me some friends!"

'Max-oniichan'…?

"Um, Julie?" Sophie interrupted. "What does… 'Oniichan' means?"

"It means big brother." The younger hare smiled innocently. "Last night, he said he thought of me as a sister so I thought I'd start calling him that."

"O-oh…" Sophie's smile twitched a little along with an eyebrow. " _Last night…?_ "

"He even told me he'd be there for me to make friends! I know it's not a big deal… But…" She looked away and took a deep breath before facing her sister again. "He said it in such a cool way! And with the moonlight to go along with…! I mean, is that even possible?!"

Sophie's heart skipped a bit. Oh no… What was this? Jealousy? But she knows Max would never date anyone else. Yea… That's right. He would never. The proof was that only two mammals were on his trust list. The first, Nick, his senior. And the other, her, his girlfriend.

"And to top it off…" Julie looked down and bit her thumb with a smile. "He was so handsome when he smiled…"

And just then, Sophie could hear a thunder clapped outside. Time stopped for her and her neck gave in and she was facing the ground. This… Can't be happening… Jealousy? Seriously? She even knows that Max would never cheat on her. But hearing that he smiled to another girl… No… Not just any girl… But her own sister…?!

"Neechan…?" Julie called, bending a little to comfort her sister. "Are you okay…?"

Sophie stood up straight with a confident look and took a deep breath. She then smiled before looking at Julie. She placed a paw on her shoulder. "That's great, Julie," she said in a gentle tone.

Julie stared at her sister for a bit and looked down. "I… I know I shouldn't… Even Oniichan knows I like him actually…"

" _What?!_ " Sophie thought but her expression still not changed.

"He even said it himself." The younger hare began adjusting her voice into a slightly deeper one, trying to match Max's. "'There's nothing wrong with being romantic towards me. Just don't expect me to do the same.' Something like that."

And at this moment, Sophie's fake smile vanished. And it was a good thing. Because it just proves that even though she knows he would never fall for anyone else, she can't shake off this jealousy. But it wasn't a big deal. She'll just tell him about it and beat him up as usual when he gets back.

"Thanks for telling me, Jules," she said, now smiling for real. "Go get dress. And be sure to prepare a beautiful dress for tonight."

"Mm!" she nodded. "I can't wait!" Julie skipped to her room, leaving Sophie smiling at her while looking back.

"Now then…" She stepped into the bathroom and locked the door and took her time, cooling off under the warm water.

While Max was away, the Glace were helping to prepare the dance hall, trying to make the place look livelier than usual. Yes, the Glace. Not just the workers. Everyone was doing their part. Everyone except the guest of honor, Max who still hasn't returned. However, just as Sophie was helping to get some ropes to tie the curtains, the front door opened and a familiar figure walked into the house.

Sophie looked at the direction of the front entrance and smiled as she recognized him. "Welcome back," she said.

Max nodded. "Tadaima," he said.

Sophie smiled and walked towards him, smacking him in the arm and then whacking him with the rope she was holding.

Max looked at this and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he said not moving a muscle.

"Just…! Stand…! Still!" she said beating him up as tough as she can. Althought the fox felt nothing, Sophie sighed in satisfaction. "That's for not telling me about Julie being in love with you."

"Oh, is that it? I'm for sure you know that by now. I'm not dense, you know."

And then, Sophie realized there was something on Max's head. A pair of ear muffs. And they look so cute on him that she almost dropped the rope she was holding.

"Looks weird?" he said pointing the new accessory he got from this morning. "Nick gave this to me as a Christmas present. And check it out." He unzipped his hoodie and showed her the sweater she made for him back at Downtown before they came here. "Ta dah." He said trying to sound cheerful but failed.

Sophie covered her mouth and giggled. "Looks good on you," she commented behind her paw.

"Nice try. I know it looks silly. But you made it so I might as well wear it in public. Especially on Christmas Eve. Since it'll probably make everybody laugh."

She giggled again but this time letting her mouth go. She nodded. "Thank you…" she said softly.

Max smiled. His eyes then shifted to the rope she was holding. "What're you gonna do with that?" he asked.

"Oh. We're just about to do some finishing touches. A last minute check. And a good thing too. Apparently, the old rope was a little worn so I had to get some new ones."

Silence only came out from the fox and he shook his head from not understanding a single word she just said. "Anyway, I'm going out again later. But I need your help."

"Where are you going again? And why my help?"

The fox rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "Nick and Judy didn't get any outfits for the dance. And he didn't tell her that the dance was tonight. So… I was thinking maybe you could help with what they should wear for tonight."

Sophie's eyes began to shone and she smiled. "I'll finish this as fast as I can!" And with that, she zipped to the dance hall.

Later at the mall…

The couple was at a fancy-looking store called 'Pegasus'. It was a store where they sell suits and dresses and a variety of accessories. Pretty much a store for people who wants to look good and rich. Max was looking at some belts through the glass casings left and right, trying to figure which one would fit him. However… All of them were the kinds with simple buckles and not have anything rebel-like, like a skull or eagle buckle.

"Max? How about this?" Sophie called holding a black lace dress with a ribbon tied in the middle of the chest area. She held it and placed it on herself and pose to see if it would fit.

Max could feel his cheeks heat up a bit. Just a little bit though. But it was a good thing he showed no embarrassment towards it. And plus… A beautiful white hare in a black dress… What a perfect match considering black and white are his two favorite colors. As in, he prefers black and white together and not individually.

"Looks good on you," he commented softly, almost unable to hear. The reason why was because he actually loved it.

But because of Sophie's long ears she could hear him just enough. "I meant for Judy, you know," she giggled. "But thanks anyway."

"Oh… Well, if it was for Judy, shouldn't you get the one with sleeves at least? She's not an arctic animal after all. And it should be a little bigger than yours."

Sophie snapped her fingers. "You're right. How silly of me." She smiled shyly. She moved to find a short-sleeved white dress with a white transparent floats on the shoulder area. "How about this?" she said taking it down.

"Looks expensive. I guess it'll do."

Sophie was about to put the black dress back but pulled away slowly when she had other thoughts. "On second thought… I guess I can buy this one for tonight…" She blushed a little. She eventually woke up from her imagination and shook her head. "Now, all we need is a suit!" she exclaimed after clearing her mind.

"Then what about this?" Max pointed at a feline mannequin wearing a grey suit with a black tie along with a brown belt with a gold buckle. And it was just his size too. "I think Nick would definitely fit in nicely with this."

But on Sophie's mind… She had other thoughts about it… And was too busy fantasizing about it… Until she was snapped out by Max who took the dresses from her. "Eh?" was all she reacted. She turned to the counter to see Max about to pay for everything and realized something. She tugged on his sleeves to which he turned to face her.

"What is it?"

"W-we haven't gotten YOU a suit yet!" she reminded.

"I'm not gonna wear a suit."

"…" That was Sophie could reply when she heard that. "Huh? W-w-what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I'll be dancing. But I'm not wearing a suit. Besides, these fancy clothes always has more negatives than positives. Take my hoodie for example. Warm, comfy and ea…" His next word was cut off when he turned to her. And… She had a very… Very… Evil look on her face. So evil, he could see her arteries forming on her forehead. And somehow, he felt as if a dark aura is seeping out of her.

But later… She smiled to him innocently and grabbed hold onto his sleeves. But that dark aura was still there and there was DEFINITELY something off about that smile of hers. And he was right too…

"BUT DEAR! YOU'RE SPENDING SO MUCH OF MY FAMILY'S FORTUNE ALREADY! IF YOU KEEP THIS UP, MY FAMILY'S BUSINESS WILL GO BANKRUPT!" she yelled as loudly as she could to attract everyone's attention. "PLEASE THINK ABOUT US FOR ONCE! PLEASE! JUST ONCE!"

Max looked around him and Sophie indeed got what she wanted. Mammals were whispering to each other about them however, it was not affecting the fox. Not so much that is.

"Stop it, Soph…" he said calmly but still sounded embarrassed a little. "I'm not wearing one."

"WAAAHHH! YOU PLAN TO GO ON ANOTHER EXPENSIVE VACATION AGAIN?!" This time, she cupped her mouth on purpose to make it louder. "AT THIS RATE, THE GLACE WILL HAVE TO LIVE IN THE STREETS!" And she kept going on and on about to the point that customers in the store even started leaving.

And Max, of course didn't want to cause any trouble, scratched his head in panicked for the first time and raised both his paws at her. "Okay! Okay!" he said, giving up. "I'll wear a suit! Just please, stop!"

"Then what about this?" And just after hearing him surrender, Sophie recovered immediately and went for a black suit with a red tie that also has a black belt with a silver buckle with it. "Looks good on you, right?" she said innocently, putting the suit on his body to see if it fits.

"You…" was the only thing he could say. Of course, he bought it. By forced that is…

When they exited the store, the mammals from outside stared at the couple, beginning to gossip to one another. Sophie looked happy however, Max was so embarrassed he put on his mood to cover his blushing face.

"You'll definitely look handsome in that," Sophie said holding his paw with a smile.

Max didn't answered for a while but eventually… "I… Love you…" he said in a very sinister tone.

But Sophie showed no fear at all and hugged his arm. "I love you too~" she said proudly. The couple then went straight for the hotel where Nick and Judy were staying for the night to hand them their outfits for tonight's dance.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Okay! That's it! This is WAY longer than I thought it'd be. I purposely put a MaxxJulie ship in this story because I always have a thing for younger girls. When Erricane read this, he almost strangled me to death for putting it since he wanted Max's relationship to be purely focused on Sophie only. And I was laughing so much at his reaction. In the end, he said to post it anyway and not let my talent go to waste. So in other words, personally, he hates it. But my talents for writing impressed him so much he just can't let me redo it._

 _Honestly, I love the guy. Haha. But to those of you who starts shipping Julie and Max, feel free to do so. Because I'm the president. XD_

 _Anyway, the next chapter will be the final. PROBABLY. And I'm calling it now: Erricane is gonna give a hate speech for writing that MaxxJulie scene in the kitchen. But don't hate him nor me. We've been friends since kindergarten and no way something like this can split us. And if it makes any of you happy, MaxxJulie will NEVER happen. It's just a ship after all. So use your imaginations fellow Malie shippers. ^^_

 _Anyway, peace!_

Side note:

Oniichan: _Big brother in Japanese._

Siscon: _A person who has sexual or romantic feelings for their sister._

Oyasumi: _Goodnight in Japanese._

Imouto: _Little sister in Japanese._

Ohayou: _Good morning in Japanese._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** _So… Erricane here. As you all know, because of last chapter… *sighs* Silver decided to add a Julie route. He said he doesn't mind if it won't ever happen. Just as long as there are some ship moments. It's just that, that guy really likes younger girls. Especially those that are two years younger than the main character. In this case, Max. Yes, Julie is 18, Max is 20. When I told him that, he just couldn't resist. So it's my fault in a way for letting him write that last chapter. Ah well. Can't do anything about it now. I was really impress by his writing skills though._

 _Anyway, I don't think this will be the last chapter. Rather, next will be the last. Because I always tend to write final chapters short, like an epilogue. Enough about this. Let's get this story going._

 **Disclaimer:** _Zootopia belongs to Disney._

* * *

That night, in Julie's room… The young hare twirled left and right in her red dress. It was a one piece dress with long sleeves all the way to the wrists. There was some white trimming on the end of it. She wore a white ribbon on her waist, fitting it perfectly to her size.

She smiled. "It'll be okay," she said to herself. "He's gonna embarrass himself too." She smiled gleefully and nodded with full of determination.

Meanwhile, in Sophie's room… Just like her little sister, Sophie also put on her dress, looking at her reflection. This wasn't her first time wearing a dress for the ball but she was getting a little nervous. After all, for first time, she'll be dancing with someone she knows since elementary school.

She sighed to her and nodded. "Don't worry…" she said, looking in the eyes of her reflection. "It's his first time too…" She blinked for a few times and slowly smiled after getting her wits together. There was nothing to be afraid of. She was someone she loved after all.

The two jills exited their rooms at the same time and head straight for the tod's only to run into each other. They both looked at each other for a while and smiled.

"You look great, Neechan!" Julie said looking at Sophie from ears to toe.

Hearing that comment she blushed, her ears drooped and looked away but with the smile still intact. "Th-thanks…" she said. She turned back to her sister and looked at her too. "You look wonderful yourself…"

Julie grinned innocently like a little kit and showed her a peace sign. "Arigatou!" she said cheerfully. "We have to look our best for Oniichan, right? Let's see who he'll go for!" she said, clenching her fist.

Sophie frowned with her smile getting weaker and shrugged while forming a drop of sweat. "R-right…" But she already knew Max's answer. Even the fox said it himself.

And just then, the door slowly opened slightly and Max's eye can be seen. He looked both at the two hares.

"Oniichan! We're both ready!" Julie expressed happily while Sophie's left ear covered half her face. She nodded and looked away.

The fox's eye squinted and he immediately shut the door.

The sisters were a little baffled at this and looked at each other for a second before focusing their attention to the door again.

"I am not going out there wearing this… This… THING," Max said behind the door.

Sophie sighed and placed her paw on her head. "Max, it's just a suit. How bad can it be?" In truth, Sophie just wanted to see how he looked like in that suit. And this was the chance to get him to wear it too.

"How bad could it be?" Max repeated her question. "This is how bad: I will look like some rich douchebag. The fact that one of my rules is not to lie, I'm pretty sure vultures will be all around me the moment I answer their questions. You know how rich mammals are." Max sounded agitated yet, he managed to kept his tone down and it was almost as though he wasn't.

"What does he mean by that?" Julie said tugging her sister's arm.

"He just doesn't like wearing suits or anything fancy is all…"

Julie's ears dropped and she pouted. "Then… Let's force him to come out!"

"W-wait! What if he's still changing?!" Sophie held Julie back by pulling her arm.

"Don't worry. You've already seen him naked before right?"

"J-Julie!" Sophie blushed really hard when she heard that.

"That's right, Jules," Max continued. "We've even did more than just seeing each other naked."

"MAX!" this time Sophie spouted at Max.

"Think of this as revenge for what you did this afternoon at the clothes store. Do you know how embarassing it was for me to buy a suit for the first time. Now I will never be one of those mammals you see in the streets."

Sophie's face began to pout as well but from anger instead. Her body was shaking and she grabbed the doorknob, shoving the door opened afterwards. "Come out of…! There… Now…" Her sentence trailed off when she saw him.

Max was sitting at the corner of his bed and looked at her in his suit. He was hugging his knees making sure the two can't see him in his suit. The only thing they could see were his pants.

"What are you doing?" she asked, feeling a little disappointed.

"What else? Making sure you two won't see me in the suit."

"For crying out loud, get off of bed!" She pulled his arm as hard as she can but Max was definitely too strong for her to even budge him.

Julie just watched and was rather impressed. It was as if she was witnessing a real life anime moments between couples. A couple fight.

"You promised you'd wear it at the dance!" Sophie reminded, tugging his arm.

"Correction: I said I would wear it but I never said anything about wearing it in public." Max began debating.

Sophie didn't want to admit it but he was right. Max was always very good at choosing his words. Therefore, it wasn't a lie.

"Julie!" Sophie called, snapping her sister's thoughts. "Help me get this emotionless creature up!"

"Uh, hai!" Julie then grabbed his other arm and tried pulling him off.

This time he budged a bit and Max shook his head. "Don't!" he yelled. He gritted his teeth and began pulling back before they could see it.

In the end, they two of them gave up. He was too strong. Much stronger than regular foxes.

Sophie sighed. Looks like it was time for her to use plan B. "Fine then," she said. "I guess I'll just keep all those chocolates for myself for tonight."

Hearing the word 'chocolate' made Max's ears move. He looked up. "Catbury…?" he asked.

Got him. The hare smirked and look away. "Only one way to find out now, huh?"

Chocolates… He wouldn't mind if it was some other brands… But Catbury was his favorite. And he knows Sophie is no liar too. He swallowed and looked away. "Fine…" he finally admitted defeat. "But…!" He went back to hugging his knees. "Get out of my room first… I'll get up myself…"

"No tricks?"

The fox shook his head. "I'll come out of the room WITH my suit and go downstairs… Just… Leave first… I need to make sure I have the dignity to do it…"

Julie looked at the two of them in awe. And the first thing she thought was… 'Seriously…?' Just chocolates were enough to make him give up to her…? Of course, not in a life threatening situation. But she can't help but laughed softly.

"What is it?" Sophie asked, turning to her.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said sweetly. "We should leave him like he said."

The elder hare nodded and both of them left the room as he requested. It took almost a minute for him to gain his confidence. As they waited, they could her the latch bolt being pulled back along with the door slowly creaking opened.

The fox slowly appeared starting from his nose and then his face. And finally, his whole body revealed after the door was finally completely opened.

And what the two jills saw widened their eyes in both amazement and fanaticsm.

Max was wearing a white shirt with black suit to go along with his red tie with gold stripes on it. His pants were still neat and tidied as if he wasn't hugging his knees from earlier even. How is that even possible? However, the brown leather belt with the silver buckle was not visible because his jacket was covering it. And to top it off, he was still wearing his leather glove which made him looked as if he was ready to kill someone. Of course, looks can be deceiving.

Max rubbed the back of his head and placed a paw on the side of his waist while looking away from the two. "Happy…?" he asked.

Julie placed her paws on her cheek with a huge smile while fangirling with her pupils expanding. This scene managed to fulfill one of her fantasies. ONE of them, that is.

As for Sophie, she just stood there frozen, blushing. This was the first time she has seen Max dressed so formal. And… He looked so handsome in it too. The only problem is that he never likes wearing anything expensive. None at all. So it was a rare thing to witness upon.

The fox looked back with his head still lowered. "Well? Say something."

"Uh… Ah…" Sophie was at lost for words. Somehow, when she made eye contact with him, her face became redder. "Y-you look… Great! As expected!" she claimed proudly, trying to cover that embarrassement.

"I think you look handsome, oniichan!" Julie said without hesitation.

Hearing this, Sophie felt as if she lost in a confidence match.

Max looked away again and clicked his tongue. "Whatever…" he said. "I don't have time to change anyway…" He didn't move a muscle except for his feet. "Anyway… Shouldn't we get going?"

"Huh? Oh, right…" Sophie said, after realizing how long she has stood there.

"Then, shall we get it started, oniichan?" Julie quickly hooked her arm on Max's and stood closely to him.

"Sure, I guess…" And with that said, the younger hare pulled him along with her even though he was relunctant.

"Hey, wait!" called Sophie catching up.

"I can't wait to finally get my first dance!" Julie said excitedly. "It's okay if you can't dance well too, oniichan. At least I won't be the only one."

Max groaned softly with a frown. He really didn't want to do it especially with this suit of his. And as the moment came, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath after stopping at the entrance to the hall. This was it… No going back now.

He took his first step in and just like that, the hall fell into a deep silence. It was then Max realized… All of the guests were preys… Making him the ONLY predator here. Well, it won't be for long though.

Everyone stared at him and some were even whispering about something.

Max didn't actually mind about what they think about him. But the problem is that he was more afraid to show himself in public formally. And the fact that everyone went quiet there for a few seconds is what made him a little worried. Just a little.

"Max?" Sophie called.

The fox looked back at Sophie and gulped. "I'm okay… Nick will be here any second…"

"The dance will take some time, oniichan," Julie said. "Let's go enjoy the food first."

Max nodded.

"Then, I'll be at the gate with my parents," Sophie said. "I'll make sure Nick and Judy arrives."

"Okay… I just hope they get here quick…" The young tod loosened his tie a little.

"It'll be fine," Sophie smiled. "Hang in there okay?" With that said, she left the two of them, making her way to greet the guests.

Few minutes later…

Max slowly picked up a small chilli pepper and stared at it. It was tinier than his fingers even. "How does this even make you full…?" he said to himself, frowning. He placed it on his plate and stared more at the food.

Vegetables… Vegetables… Vegetables… Fruits… And more vegetables… Unlike some foxes, Max rarely eats anything with vitamins. After all, he values the inside more than the out. But it's not like he's very picky. It's just that he rather be at satisfaction when it comes to food.

Afterwards, he took a stick of celery with his paws again. And at this point, he turned to his right to find a buck antelope picking up some radishes with a tong.

Max's ears lowered and looked at the mammal who was also looking back. He then passed it to the predator with a smile.

"First time?" he said after the fox took it, after embarrassing himself.

Max nodded. "Sorry…" he said.

While Max was getting some food, Julie was talking to the guests, trying to make sure Max was not what they expected. Until…

"Julie Glace," an unfamiliar voice called out behind the young hare.

She turned around to find three female hares, two white and one brown, in much more beautiful dresses than her walking up to her. "Oh… Hello, Margaret…" Julie greeted combing her fur slightly.

"I never thought you would show up this year," said the hare, Margaret. "Honestly, it's been… Like what? 5 years has it? Finally becoming decided to show your face, huh?"

Julie frowned and crossed her arms. "Cut it out, Margaret. I don't mind the insults in school but don't do it in public."

"Right. Says the former shut-in for Christmas every year. Your parents even told us about it."

Julie groaned in frustration softly. Just soft enough for her to not hear her. Successfully too.

The guest, Margaret then looked over the hostess' shoulder and spotted Max who was still picking his food. Her ears dropped along with her face. "Wh-who's that?" she stuttered. "Why is a predator here?"

Julie looked back to see the fox and smirked before facing the three again. "The real question is: Why shouldn't he be here?"

But just staring at him for a few more seconds, Margaret's face eventually calmed down. And Julie could have sworn she saw a slight red on her face. Julie blinked her eyes a couple of times again and confirmed this. Margaret was indeed blushing. But… Why? Can it be…? Julie smiled again.

"For your information," Julie began, placing a paw on her chest. "He's my boyfriend."

The three jills stared at her for a brief moment and then said in unison, "EH?!"

"Y-you can't be serious! No way!" Margaret blush became more visible now. "How did the lonely you even managed to get a boyfriend?!"

"Julie?" Max called walking behind her. "Do they have baked potatoes or maybe even mashed? Or maybe some apples or oranges?"

Julie looked up at Max and smirked before wrapping an arm around him. "Of course, Max," she said happily with a smile. "I'll bring you there."

"EHHHHH?!"

Later…

Julie brought him to the basement where all the fruits were stored freshly. Though, it wasn't orange nor apples. But bananas. Max didn't complain though. It's no longer a surprise for him to keep getting foods that he despise. The only thing he did was sighed.

"I'm so sorry, oniichan!" Julie said, clapping her hands with a bow as an apology.

"No, it's fine. At least bananas aren't that bad like broccoli."

"Uh… That's not what I was talking about…"

A question mark popped into Max's mind the moment he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Julie turned around and bit her fingers. "I… MAY have told those three that…" She stopped halfway.

"Told them what? That I was your boyfriend?"

Julie's eyes widened and she shyly looked up at Max. "You're… Not mad?"

Max blinked once and patted her head. "Too cliché, kiddo," he said. "But I'll play along."

Julie blushed after hearing his respond. Of course, it was only pretend. But she considered this as a treat herself.

"I'll tell Sophie about it though."

And from that moment, she could hear thunders booming into her mind. "T-t-t-tell oneechan?!" she stuttered, feeling afraid.

"Of course. She's my girlfriend after all. And your sister. So I have to."

"B-b-b-but! She'll kill me!" Julie's arms began flailing in fear.

Max walked out of the basement with a celery stick in his mouth. "Then I'll just explain to her," he said rubbing his little sister on the head. "Not that big of a deal."

The jill calmed down and looked away. "Promise?"

"I never walk away from one so, yea."

After the awkward conversation was solved, well, awkward for only Julie though, Max began to rummage through the refrigerator in the kitcen for some sweets and eventually found a Crickets bar. "Score…" he whispered to himself, keeping a couple in his pockets.

"Max!" Sophie called.

The fox immediately closed the door and leaned on the wall, acting as if nothing happened.

"Max!" The hare appeared from the entrance of the kitchen. "Nick and Judy are here!" Sophie said, hopping up and down excitedly.

It took a while for him to respond and then he smiled. "Now I won't be left out anymore…"

It wasn't long till the two unexpected yet honored guests appeared before the crowd along with the younger couple, which eventually went quiet. Whispers could be heard exchanging to each other and somehow, the fox and rabbit were a little embarrassed to be invited out of the blue at the last minute. But luckily, they were escorted by Sophie around to place for a tour of the ball.

"I didn't know you two knew Officer Hopps and Wilde," Silvia said softly to Max who was crunching on his celery hesitantly.

"Actually, I only knew Nick. He was like a brother to me when his mom was babysitting me."

"Ah. Related before he was well known, huh?"

"That doesn't matter." Max stared at Nick and smiled a little. "Nick is still Nick. That's all I see in him." At this point, Max turned to Silvia. "Hey, Sil. If it's okay, you think you can find a secluded place?"

"What for?"

"The two aren't good at dancing from what Nick said. So… I figured at least THEY won't be the ones to embarrassed themselves. After all… It's their first Christmas together."

Silvia did nothing but smiled and winked at him with a thumb up. "Just leave it to your older sister," she said proudly before leaving.

Max afterwards moved to Nick and tapped him on the shoulder.

The older fox turned around and smile. "'Sup, Max?" he said.

"Mind accompanying a fellow predator-slash-fox?" he asked, smiling back.

Nick turned to his lover. "I'm gonna go talk with Max," he said. "That okay?"

"You do realize that you're not a kit anymore right?" Judy giggled.

"Yea, but I just don't want you to miss."

She raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "You better think up of an escape plan when we get back to the hotel later."

The fox laughed. "A kiss?" he asked, getting a little close.

"No! Not in public at least."

Max shook his head and walked away before Nick followed suit.

"So, what's up, junior?" The elder began.

"First, I'd like to thank you guys for coming. So thank you."

"Well, you're very welcome." Nick bowed like a gentlemammal, which annoyed Max a little but in a playful way.

"Second, that last time you helped me at the ZPD. Thanks for clearing my name and my records. I forgot to do that during our double date."

"Max, it's okay. Really. It's the least I can do. After what's been going lately, I'm pretty damn proud of myself that I just can't resist to do good things." Nick crossed his arms with his long nose high and mighty with a confident smile.

"Still full of yourself, huh?" Max chuckled. "You told Mrs. Wilde already?"

"About what?"

"About you and Hopps. I take it she handled it well?"

Nick chuckled nervously and placed his paws on his hips. "VERY well actually. Wasn't surprised though. Cuz, you know mom."

The two sat on the porch outside the entrance of the ball and decided to converse there instead.

"Now that I think about it, how're things with Sophie's family."

Max shrugged. "Pretty good, I guess. Her brother's a total douche is all I can say."

"Overprotective brother kind?"

"Nah. Something else. More like… Untrusting brother type. You know… Because I'm a predator and all."

"Ah, I see. Yea… There are STILL some preys and predators who don't trust each other. Some, that is."

"Not like I'm complaining anyway. You should go overseas next time. Then we'll see who gets it worse."

Nick laughed. "That bad huh?"

His junior smiled after reminiscing his days as a criminal. "I wonder how all of them are doing now… I hope they're happy after all that I've done for them."

"Didn't you go around the world to date them the other day?"

"Yea… Because of that, I was so jetlagged… Ugh… But that's because it was a date. I never bothered asking about their life. If they feel like telling me, then be my guest. You know what I'm like." He looked at Nick. "I'm not the kind that would ask people about how they're doing."

The off-duty fox cop smiled. "But that was the old you, right?" he said, patting Max on the back. "After Sophie came back, I'm starting to see that little kit that always gets involve into trouble with little by little lately. Even underneath that suit. You can't fool your senior, you know."

Max frowned. "More like… I was forced to wear it. I was actually planning to just wear a shirt for the dance."

The senior laughed again. "Well, I gotta admit. You DO look good in it."

"I feel like a phony, honestly…"

The conversation went silent for a moment until Nick spoke up.

"Max," he began. "About you parents…"

The young fox's ears twitched and he faced his senior.

"Well… That time, when you were in the infirmary at the ZPD… I know that you're adopted… And of course, I know you love your wolf parents." Nick began looking at the ground trying to find the right words. "You see… As thanks for helping us solve a case, I thought about finding your real parents…"

Max looked at Nick seriously.

"And I mean, REAL blood-related parents. Wolfard ran a blood test when we were taking care of your wounds and we found out about something. There were no other details except for this one. Someone by the name Marilyn Fanger, a vixen, visited Zootopia more than 19 years ago. Of course, at first, we were just guessing. But Wolfard said that your blood was somehow… Different. And the only match he found was this vixen." Nick took out a piece of paper with and handed it to him. "This, is the address of where she was from. That's all I was able to do."

Max unfolded the paper and read the words. 'Vulper'. Max knew this place, but he never actually been there before. Much like Canide Town, where he lived, he heard that it was quite a wild place. And it was a rather prosperous place like Bunnyburrow where there were plenty of vegetables, fruits, insects, fishes and birds for both preys and predators.

He looked up at Nick and nodded. "Thanks…" he said, keeping the paper in his pocket.

( _If you've read my previous story, 'First Christmas Date', you know what happens next. So I'm skipping to after Nick and Judy returned to their hotel._ )

After the well known couple were leaving, the young fox leaned on the railing of the balcony on the top floor, looking down at his senior with his girlfriend walking back to their hotel. He smiled and looked at the paper that Nick gave him earlier. The paper with a hint about his real family.

"Oniichan!" called Julie, hugging him from behind, catching him by surprise.

However, he showed no sign of it though, his heart was definitely racing from the shock. "D-Don't do that…" he said. "Scared the fur out of me…"

"Eh? You don't look surprised though." Julie said, placing her index finger on her chin innocently and looking at him intently while blinking. "Anyway," she shrugged, grabbing his paw with both of hers. "It's our time to shine!"

Max tilted his head and kept the piece of paper into his pocket before heading out.

"You know…" Julie said, as they walked down the stairs. "I'm so glad that Oneechan and you met… Otherwise… You know…"

"Yea, I know," Max replied looking at her. "If you feel like confessing, then I'll be waiting. Just be sure you think of something when I reject you."

Julie giggled and then sighed. "Well… This isn't an anime after all. I don't expect it to go the same way as them. Not to mention…" She looked at her probable future brother-in-law. "You're not as dense as the main characters."

Max blinked and smiled, chuckling a bit which caught Julie's ears.

"W-what was…?" she said, not finishing.

"That was funny…" the fox admitted, patting her on the head. "Now then, let's get going."

The younger hare blushed and looked down. She was for sure she didn't misheard that. Not to mention, he even said that it was funny. So there was no way she misheard that.

"Oh, also," Max continued. "Sophie said that I can be your boyfriend for today. So, don't hold back about bragging it to those girls back there."

She blinked with an expressionless face and her body trembled in surprise. " _N-no way!_ " she thought. " _N-n-n-neechan is allowing me to date… O-o-o-o-oniichan?!_ " She tightened her fists and placed them on her chest then looked up. " _Thank you so much, Oneechan!_ "

"Hey… What's keeping you?" Max called.

Julie blinked and shook her head. "Ah, it's nothing." She waved her paw in denial with a drop of sweat trailing from her head. _"Right! It's just for today! But still… Thank you!_ "

* * *

 **A/N:** _Alright… This is where this chapter ends… I really wrote a lot of this and I don't think I got all the errors down… Next chapter will be the last as it will be Christmas._

 _My idea was to finally introduce Max's real parents. I actually never want to write about them because there was a reason why. But someone really persuaded me into writing it. Sorry for such a slow update. I don't think I've ever written one chapter this long before so I think I'm quite satisfied with this… Anyway, I'm off to bed… I'm really tired. Next chapter will be the final one._


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** _'Sup, everybody? Erricane and Silver here._

 **E:** _This will be the last chapter for this story. I know last one took so long. The reason why was because… I was slacking off… So, I have no excuse. Because of that I apologize._

 **S:** _That's why Erricane decided to make the next story QUITE different this time. Someone managed to persuade him into writing it and it will be about Max's real parents. There's a reason why he didn't want to write it. Because he felt it was too dark. But in the end, he decided to give it a go._

 **E:** _That is why, the next story will be last story and it will be my BEST story too. The reason why it's because I've already written the manuscript and am prepared to write everything down. Until then, I have no guarantee about coming back here. But it would be nice to chat with all of you too since your interaction really means a lot to me._

 **S:** _Without further ado, let's finish up this last chapter._

* * *

6am in the morning… And Max was heavenly sleeping in his room, snoring quietly. After what happened last night, he had never felt so exhausted in his life…

Julie was WAY to hyper when dancing. In fact, she was mostly taking the lead and was probably the only one who mammals were paying more attention to. Like, she kept swinging themselves a lot with full force and was even jumping everywhere when dancing almost as if it was a disco even though it was suppose to be a waltz dance.

But it never bothered Max once thought which was the reason why she was so happy. But of course, everything has consequences and in the fox's case, his energy. The moment everyone went home after a memorable dance (mainly due to Julie), he went up to his room without taking a bath and plummeted himself on the bed, falling asleep with his suit still on but gloves off.

And to top it off, Sophie never even got the chance to dance with him. However, she wasn't mad about it since this was the first time she has seen her little sister happy. Even her siblings parents were surprised to see the young hare's behavior that night.

So anyway, Max was sleeping like a log in his room, front facing on the bed, his chin being laid on the pillow. It was as though he was dead too. Max wasn't much of a heavy sleeper. But for tonight, it was special.

The door to his room opened slowly with a creak. He didn't even budge. A figure with long ears entered his room and sat next to him on his bed. It was Sophie. She looked at him and tilted her head just to get a good angle of his face.

She smiled and brushed her fingers on his furry cheek. "Julie had a lot of fun today…" she said even though he was asleep. "Everyone was so surprised too. Thanks…" She leaned in closer to his face and kissed him on his cheek.

And just after, he frowned and rolled his body, his back now on the sheets. He moaned a little before his face relaxed.

The hare giggled and stood up before leaving his room. "Merry Christmas…" she whispered one last thing to him.

And after the door was closed, Max opened his eyes and blinked. He sighed. "Merry Christmas…" he said before shutting his eyes and going back to sleep.

As the sun rose along with the falling snow, the young fox was laying sprawl on his bed. His fur was becoming even messier and his beautiful suit was getting all wrinkly. From a third person's perspective, it looks as if he was sleeping like a NEET. His mouth was hanging opened and a little saliva came out of his mouth but yet… No snores. Even though he was but none of them can be heard even.

"Max?" Sophie's voice sounded behind the door. "Wake up. It's Christmas."

Not a muscle moved from the fox.

She opened the door and peeked in to see Max still sleeping. She sighed and walked into his room. "Seriously? Are you THAT tired?" She sat next to him just like last night and looked at him.

The fox shut his mouth and moaned, turning his head to the side before leaving it hanging again.

Her lips pulled across her cheek into a slight smile. "You're ruining your suit, you know…" she said, looking at his new suit being wrinkled. "Seriously now," she said, pouting trying to straighten it just a bit. "At leats take off your jac…" She stopped half way when she was pulled into an embrace by him. " _Eh…?_ " she thought. " _Ehhhhhhh?!_ " Sophie began to blush furiously. " _N-No way! Is he awake?!_ " She looked back at him to see that he was still snoring. " _Still sleeping?!_ "

Max then rolled to the other side, still cuddling her in a spoon position without even realizing.

" _W-wh-wha-what should I do?!_ " She began to panic while being unable to move. " _I… I don't wanna wake him up… Then again…_ " She moaned softly. " _He's… So warm…_ " She began to relax a little and decided to just let the embrace go on.

She could feel his hot breath touching behind her ears and her body began to shook.

" _Gaaaaaahhhh!_ " she yelled in her thoughts. " _He's… So close…!_ " She shut her eyes tightly and tried to swallowed but was barely abled to. Her face was forming redder and redder at every breath she felt from him. Eventually her body became so weak that it wasn't shaking anymore from resistance. She looked back at him. Which only made her more nervous.

His sleeping face… It had such an innocent look yet she was in such a wrong position. He was so handsome and it only made her even more embarrassed. And just as she closed her eyes, she realized something. The door to his room was not closed! It would be even more embarrassing if someone were to catch them like this.

"Oniichan!" Too late. "Merry Christmas!" yelled Julie, stepping into his room.

Max snorted and moved a little, pulling Sophie closer to him.

Sophie couldn't move anymore the moment she heard Julie in the room.

"O… Neechan…?" Julie responded when she noticed her sister being cuddled by Max. The younger hare placed her paws on her mouth. "How mean! I want a cuddle from Oniichan too!" And with that, she pounced on top of Max causing the predator to be awaken.

His eyes opened quickly and sat up straight. Drawing out his claw and scanned the room while growling.

The claws on his right paw was so close to Sophie and this was the first time she's seen it so up-close. Though, she was a little surprised, but her flushed face still remained. He looked as if he was protecting her. Just like… 10 years ago…

Max looked down to see Julie hugging him tightly. He calmed down a little and look to his side to find Sophie's face close to his claws. His face then turned from calm to a slight panic look. He put down his paws, drawing back his claws and patting Julie on the head. Luckily, she was too busy hugging him that she never noticed his weapon.

"Ohayou, Oniichan!" she greeted in a happy tone, still embracing him and even tightening it.

He patted her on the head. "Morning…" he said.

Julie pulled back and looked at him with a smile. "It's Christmas! Everyone is preparing gifts already!"

The fox smiled and nodded. "Let me get changed first…"

"Hai!" she said, saluting and getting off of him. "Also…" She glanced at her older sister. "I wanna be cuddled by you too while sleeping," she said in an innocent tone.

"That'll never happen," Max replied bluntly. "Leave now."

She pouted and did as she was instructed, leaving the couple in the room.

Max sighed and looked to his side to meet with Sophie who was still blushing. "Did I hurt you…?" he asked.

"Huh?" she responded after snapping out. "Oh. No. No." She was merely remembering of what happened 10 years ago. The view she had just now… Was the same of how he protected her when they were kits.

"Why were you here…?"

"I was…" She looked away. "Just waking you up."

"No, I mean…" He looked at her. "Why are you in bed with me?"

"Eh…?" Her head creaked slowly to face him and began turning red. "Um… You…" She faced down in embarrassment. "You… Just… Grabbed me and held me close…" She looked back at him again and could see a little redness forming on his cheeks as well.

"I didn't hurt you, did I…?"

"No," she answered quickly, holding his wrist. "And even if you did, I'm okay with it. Just… Stop… I don't care about what happened last time… Now is different…"

Max slowly blinked. "I know it is… But I just can't help it…" He looked back at her. "It may take some time but… I don't know when that time will come…"

"Enough…" She tightened her grip. "I know how you feel… But believe me… I don't care anymore, okay…? Even if you hurt me, I won't run away anymore… Just…" She wrapped her arms around him. "Stop reminding yourself that, you stupid fox!"

All Max could do was stare at her. He knew she was serious. And it was the same for him. But, he sees it in another way. He held her paw and sighed. "Okay, okay…" he said. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Please leave my room? I need to change first."

Sophie sniffed and loosened her grip. "Okay…" She got out of his bed but only to be pulled back by the arm. She turned around to see him, holding on to the sleeve of her shirt.

"I'm sorry…" he said, not facing her. "It's Christmas. And I shouldn't be talking about stuff like that. So this one is definitely my fault."

She smiled at his comment. "Well… As long as you get it. And I'm serious. No matter what, I won't be scared of you anymore."

He smiled faintly before looking at her. "Okay…" he said with a voice as if he was about to cry. He let go of her, following to her exiting his room.

Later…

The gift exchanges were already taking place. The whole household was taking part of it. Staffs were even on break and were even wearing casually. Everyone was definitely in high spirits and the only thing that could be heard were laughters and cheers.

And through them, they could hear something being dragged into the hall. The turned to the hallway and saw the honored guest dragging two sacks filled with presents towards them.

"Yo," Max said tonelessly. "Morning, everyone. And Merry Christmas." He stopped the moment he was before everyone and dug through his sack. "I made sure I tagged everyone's names on each of them. And don't worry. I made sure everyone has one." He picked up the first two gifts and hands them over to the head chef of the mansion, who is a mouse, and the butler, who is a deer. "Merry Christmas, Chef Louis and Stephan."

The parents of the Glaces laughed while their kids look in confusion. All except Sophie who was doing the same.

Julie tugged on her sister's sleeve which brought her attention towards her. "How does he know them?" she asked. "I don't remember him talking to everyone?"

Sophie just smiled. "I guess it must be before he left to buy all those presents," she answered. "But that's just the kind of person he is… He's that considerate…" Sophie looked down and began remembering what he said when she moved in with him.

(Flashback)

"By the way," Sophie said, putting down a box on the floor. "Do you ever think about going back to being… You know…"

"A criminal?" Max finished who was holding on to three boxes then placing them down. "Sometimes… I only did it because it was the only thing I can do. Why ask?"

Sophie began to chuckle. "I was thinking… Maybe you could teach me a few tricks about what you did back then?"

"You're basically saying that you wanna get killed," he added.

She bonked her own head lightly. "I just thought it was cool."

Her boyfriend sighed. "Well, you can't," he said. "And I'm not saying it because I'm worried about you. More like… I just don't see preys are fit to be criminals…"

Her ears drooped. "Hey now. That's almost like saying all predators are bad guys."

Max laughed a little. "Bad guys, huh? Whoever says criminals are bad guys?" He sat down on the floor to catch a breather. "To me… There are no bad nor good guys… Just mammals with different sense of justice." He hugged his left knee. "Some would say, predatorial freedom is not justice, the others would say it is. It just goes to show everyone is an individual. So honestly, what I do is indeed a crime. But is it really bad if it's for a good cause?"

Sophie blinked and tightened her fists. "You… Should be a philosopher!"

"Huh?"

"That's so deep! I never even thought of that! I know a university where they need a philosophy teacher too!"

The fox chuckled. "Hold on there, Miss Future-Zero," he said patting her head. She even blushed when he called her that. "Everyone should find out who they are. Not follow what others believe. That's how I find who I am."

She blinked. "If you don't mind… What do you think you are?"

He smiled. "I'm not a bad guy. Nor am I a good guy. I just do things if I feel like it's right. And honestly, I don't know if what I do is what you call 'right'. I'll just do it if I feel like it. Nothing more."

(End of flashback)

" _If he feels like it, huh…?_ " Sophie thought, looking at her boyfriend giving presents to everyone. " _I guess he's just feels too much… Not that that's a bad thing._ "

"Sophie?" Max called, walking towards her with a small rectangular box in his paw.

She shuddered and shook her head, realizing she was dreaming away earlier. "Y-yes?!" she exclaimed.

He smiled and handed her his present. "Merry Christmas."

She then quickly took out her present. It was a small square and flat box and she presented it to him. "Merry Christmas!" she sai proudly.

They both swapped the gifts in their paws and everyone cheered all of a sudden.

"I guess everyone is that happy, huh?" Max commented with his tonelessness returning.

"Perhaps…" his girlfriend agreed, laughing.

The fox came face to face with Damien, the elder brother. He slowly raised his arm to hand him his present over. "Merry Christmas," he said sounding a little cold.

Damien accepted it, taking it forcefully. "I'm sorry," he said. "But I don't give gifts to predators."

"Doesn't matter. Just take it anyway."

And as the hare opened the box, he froze in place as he stared at what he got. It was a black rock and he picked it up. "Oi… What's the meaning of this?" he said, showing it to the mammal who gave it to him.

"Looks can be deceiving," Max answered. "Besides, just be glad you have that. That thing is said to give the person good fortune when it comes to love. I happen to find it when I was in Japan and the priest told me about it. Thought it might fit you perfectly who's never been loved properly."

"Who would believe that nonsense?!" Damien yelled, gripping the rock tightly. "Honestly! Do you have no respect towards others?!"

"Sorry, but I'm not looking for respect. Only understanding. And trust me, nonsense are the one of the things that I'm not good at telling."

"You…!"

Everyone was watching the whole thing and eventually, the jack quiet down.

"Fine then… But don't think I'm grateful if I even do find love by pure coincidence."

"Never even thought of it in the beginning."

Eventually, the commotion was settled and everyone in the mansion got their share of presents. The staffs were apologizing to their honored guest about not getting him a present however, he said he wasn't even planning to exchange them. It was more like him being Santa for the holidays.

Julie received a limited edition figurine of an anime character. Silvia's gift was a new necklace. The parents got a new tie and scarf. The little ones just got some new toys. And as for Sophie, she has yet to open hers.

Max on the other hand said that he will opening them once he and Sophie gets home. Though, they were persuading him to open at least one, he kept declining it. He was only grateful that they went through the troubles for getting him presents and that was enough for him to be satisfied. Eventually, the family Christmas only lasted for the morning and around 2 in the afternoon, it was time for the couple to leave.

As soon as the two exited their rooms, they bumped into each other, heading down the stairs. Sophie laughed softly while Max just smiled before they continue their way down. "Guess it's time for us to go before the new year huh?" he said.

She nodded. "I hope it wasn't boring, staying at my family's."

"Oh no. It was VERY boring."

That answer immediately made the jill jump in surprise.

"But, it was interesting at the same time. At least your family is nice. Otherwise, I would probably lose it."

"As in?"

"Nothing. It was a joke."

Sophie giggled. "Because of your tone, I really can't tell whether or not you're joking," she commented.

"Depends on who knows me well. I think most of my old comrades can."

 _(Sorry, but I'm skipping this… I'm too tired and I can't write the rest since there's nothing interesting at this point._ _ **-E**_ _)_

As the couple finally arrived home, from the cab, to the train and then another cab, the first thing Max did was tossed his bag as close to the sofa and he lay down, sighing with his eyes close. "What a week…" he said.

"Max, don't be a bum," Sophie said, entering the house. "Unpack it yourself."

"Later… I'm tired…" He took out Sophie's present from this morning out from the pocket of his hoodie and placed it on the table. "Wake me up whenever I care… I'm too tired…"

She shook her head and laughed. She took out his present out too and placed it next to hers. She leaned close to his face. "Let's open our present together tonight, okay?" she suggested.

"Whatever…" he responded, turning his back on her before snoozing off. She kissed him on his cheek and left him while heading for their room to unpack. Of course, she didn't bother bringing his bag along since the two of them were independent on this sort of things.

Max's ears move a little, listening to her footsteps going down the stairs to their room and he took another thing out of his pocket. The note that was given by Nick last night. A clue to his real family. He looked at what was written there.

'Name: Marilyn Fanger, Location: Vulper'

Max reread it a lot, memorizing the two topics and crumple the paper, throwing it into the closest trashbin. Only to fail.

He clicked his tongue and looked up the ceiling. "I'll do it later…" he said to himself, before dozing off.

That night, around 7pm, the young fox slowly opened his eyes from the smell in the kitchen. His sneezed after waking and wiped his nose, sitting up straight. He looked over at the counter in the kitchen to find Sophie cooking something. It smells like… Green beans fried in olive oil. He rubbed his eyes and groaned.

"How long did I sleep…?" he said.

Sophie turned around and smiled. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead," she greeted. "Not too long. Maybe… 4 hours? Less even. Hope you don't mind me cooking. I was thinking I should do it sometimes and not always depend on you."

Max licked his lips to prevent them from getting dried. He rubbed his forehead and sat down properly. "So… When are we opening the presents?" he reminded.

"Maybe after I'm done cooking?"

He shrugged. "Guess I'll go unpack then…" He picked up the bag that he tossed earlie this afternoon and walked towards the trashbin and threw the paper properly this time.

"What's that?" Sophie asked, noticing it.

"I'll tell you later… I just failed to shoot a hoop is all."

She laughed while continuing to cook while he prepares himself.

While she was busy doing so, Max unpacked everything and separated the gifts he got from everyone at the Glace's on the shelves and the clothes he brought along back into the dressing room. He walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

He began to wonder, who he really was. The fact that he finally has a clue about where he came from, makes him at unease. But though, it was something he should be facing himself. He was planning to meet his real family alone since he has no idea who they really were. Not to mention, it was an unknown name too. What would they think about their son who is was an ex-high profile criminal. He shook his head and turned on the shower, putting the questions aside.

After getting dressed up, he walked back up to the living room to see Sophie sitting at the counter with some ice tea on the side.

Max tilted his head a bit. "Bored waiting?" he asked.

Her ears jumped up and she turned around, sighing. "Yea… Can't believe in just 20 minutes, I already miss you."

"Stop it. You know I don't like that sappy love talk."

The jill laughed. "But it's true though. I really do miss you already."

At this point, the fox can't help but smile. "Alright, alright. If you say so. Shall we open the presents first?"

"Yes," Sophie answered quickly. "I've been itching to see what you got for me." She picked up the present he gave her this morning and he picked up hers.

"On three," she said.

But it was already too late as Max already tore off the wrapper. He paused the moment she said that. "Oops…" was all he said.

She laughed. "Oh whatever. Three!" She also began to unwrap her present to see a solid thick black box made of leather. Her ears began moving a little out of curiousity. She lifted the lid up and saw a locket necklace. She took it out of the box and opened it to find a picture of both of them during their time in the carnival when she first came to visit him after 10 years.

"Merry Christmas, Soph," he said, placing his paw on her head. "Been wanting to give this all this time actually. I just couldn't find the right time."

She clenched her fist on the chain and looked down on it, slowly forming a smile. "I love it…" she said softly.

Max nodded and can't help but smile as well before opening her present. And inside were two keychains with the Fairy Tail symbols, one red and the other pink. He stared at it as he picked both of them up. He looked at her and gave her the pink one. "I only need one," he said. "That way we'll match."

She took it hesitantly. "Are you sure?"

"You DO realize what you bought was the couple Fairy Tail keychains, right?"

"Eh?! No wonder they charged for one!"

Max laughed. "Well, then, I'll keep this, you keep the other. Deal?"

"But… It's like I got two gifts this year…"

"Well, duh…" Max leaned in closer. "Because it's your birthday today remember?"

She looked up at him and stared at him in the eyes. "You… Remembered…?"

"Of course. I know there are some mammals who wouldn't care about their birthdays especially if it was during the holidays. But I thought it might be better to give you one now as a present. Guess there was no need to buy you another gift after all."

She looked at the keychain and the locket, keeping them close to her chest. "Thanks…"

Max looked away and a drop of sweat was formed on his head. " _Actually… I just remembered and I totally forgot about it…_ " he thought. " _I'm so sorry, Sophie!_ "

"Ah, now that we're done, let's have dinner."

"Yep…" Max sighed in relief. Luckily, he was able to fool her. " _Forgive me, Sophie. But I promise I won't forget again._ "

* * *

 **A/N:** _And so there it is._

 **E:** _I think this is the longest chapter we've ever written. Yes, Sophie's birthday is on Christmas as well. In case you all don't know, Sophie is based from one of my ex who died of cancer. I based her personality, her life and her name even to give Max someone that he can love. Because she was special to me, I thought it would be an honor to always remember her this year. Yes, her birthday is also on Christmas._

 **S:** _And because of that, Erricane has some bad news. Let's hear it._

 **E:** _The next story will probably be my last Zootopia fanfic. It will be purely focus on Max's real family. I have put a lot of thought into it and decided that it will happen. There was a reason why I never thought about writing it but this time I thought because the next one will be my last, I might as well post it soon._

 **S:** _And afterwards, we both will be writing some other fanfics on other franchises. But for now, Erricane will be taking the reigns to write ONE LAST STORY of his OCs._

 **E:** _It will be a 26-chapter story and will only be OCs. If possible, I'd like to add your OCs too as thanks for staying with me all these times. See you soon._


End file.
